MojNews-A UN official on Sunday warned that the situation in Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip was moving from bad to worse.

“The social and economic situation in Gaza is moving from bad to worse,” Matthias Schmale, the director of UNRWA’s operations in Gaza, told a meeting organized by Press House NGO.

He blamed the ۱۲-year Israeli blockade on Gaza for the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territory, which is home to nearly two million people.

“It has caused higher unemployment rates, economic collapse and restriction of free trade,” Schmale said.

According to the Palestinian Center of Bureau of Statistics, unemployment in Gaza continues to rise, reaching ۵۲% in ۲۰۱۸, an increase of almost eight percent since ۲۰۱۷ and of more than ۲۰ percent since Israel imposed the closure in ۲۰۰۷.

A recent report by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) found that food insecurity affected two thirds of the population in Gaza.

It said that some ۷۰ percent of non-refugees in Gaza are food-insecure, as against ۶۷ percent of refugees in the enclave.