APAwire - APAwire CLIENTS ONLY, Gaza - 15 July 2021. Palestinian shop at at al-Zawya market ahead of Eid al-Adha festival.
01-SOUDBITE: Hamid Taha
02-SOUDBITE: Mahmoud AL-Jamala
03-SOUDBITE: Khaled Hussein
04-SOUDBITE: Mahmoud Murtaja
STORYLINE
Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice, falls at this month when Muslims will slaughter sheep, goats, camels or calves.
The spread of the coronavirus in Gaza has overshadowed the preparations for the feast as it has severely damaged the already sluggish economy of the Israeli-blockaded territory.
Israel allowed raw materials for critical industries into the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom. Until now, Israel has significantly limited the entrance of goods into the enclave following last month’s 11-day conflict, saying it would only expand the type of products allowed into Gaza if the Hamas terror group, which rules the Strip, releases two Israeli civilians held in captivity, along with the remains of two soldiers.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate in Gaza hit 56 percent. Figures of a Gaza-based committee resisting the Israeli blockade showed that around 83 percent of the Gaza Strip's 2 million population live below the poverty line.
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