APAwire - APAwire CLIENTS ONLY, Gaza– 16 June 2021. Palestinian carpenters work in a shop, in Gaza city.
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SOUNDBITE (in Arabic) Wadah Bseisu, Head of the Palestinian Wood Industries Union in the Gaza Strip.
STORYLINE
Israel bombed factories, commercial buildings, stores, farms, restaurants and businesses. More than 500 enterprises were destroyed or damaged, including 50 factories.
Israel bombed the Gaza Industrial Estate, a major economic center southeast of Gaza City founded in 1996 with support from the US government, the European Union and the World Bank.
Gaza already had one of the world’s highest unemployment rates – more than 50 percent even before Israel’s latest offensive.
This is a result of Israel’s repeated military attacks on Gaza along with an ongoing 14-year blockade backed by the US and its allies.
Gaza's challenge is compounded by an Israeli-led blockade, also supported by Egypt which shares a short border with the enclave. Israel says it imposes a blockade to prevent weapons reaching militants.
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