Ashraf Shannon
Press TV, Gaza
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are observing yet another Month of Ramadan under tough conditions due to the inhumane Israeli siege. Thousands of Gazan families can’t afford to buy food to prepare their Ramadan meals amid the dire economic situation.
This year Gazans are observing this Holy Month for the fifteenth time under inhumane conditions.
Most Muslims throughout the world shop for food items to prepare their Iftar meals a few hours before Iftar time which takes place at dusk. In Gaza meanwhile people find it very hard to prepare their fast breaking Iftar meals due to the high poverty rates. They mainly blame the crippling blockade for their plight.
Shop owners complain of customers’ weak purchasing power. They say most people look around and hardly buy anything. The COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the conditions for the impoverished population.
United Nations figures show that eighty percent of Gazans have been relying on handouts in recent years in order to survive. During this Holy Month of Ramadan most Gazans are impoverished as their incomes continue to dwindle because of crippling Israeli blockade.
Experts say that the Israeli regime has been fueling misery and suffering in the tiny coastal sliver. Many here suffer from poverty and unemployment because of Israeli restrictions.