- On top of a humanitarian crisis, Palestinians in Gaza are also facing an economic crisis.
- Gaza's unemployment is nearing 80%. And even children are scrambling to feed families.
- Facing famine, children have been trying to sell anything they can, according to reports from Gaza.
As Israeli airstrikes in Gaza leave scores of civilians injured or dead, those who survive have had to find a way to push forward.
It's a stark reality as the devastation leaves few jobs to go around. Unemployment in Gaza is nearing 80%. And even children are now forced to find any food or cash they can, the United Nations reported on Friday.
Speaking at the International Labor Conference in Geneva on Thursday, the UN agency's director-general, Gilbert Houngbo, said Gaza's economy had "literally collapsed" since the "horrific" Hamas attack in October and Israel's "relentless war" in retaliation.
"Today, Gaza is in ruins. Livelihoods are shattered, and work is scarce. Labor rights have been decimated," Houngbo said, according to the press release.
Al Jazeera previously published videos of children working as street sellers to support their families.
"I sell chocolate and provide for my family and siblings," one 12-year-old boy in Rafah told the outlet, adding that his home had been bombed.
In Geneva, Houngbo said the last eight months of war have created "the hardest year for Palestinian workers since 1967."
"Never before has the situation been this bleak," he said, according to the UN press release.
The economic crisis compounds the humanitarian crisis in the region as scores of Palestinians remain displaced and facing famine, the Associated Press reported.
In addition to its offensive that has killed over 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, Israel is fighting a PR battle on an international scale as US officials begin to doubt whether Israel can actually achieve "total victory" and eradicate Hamas.
