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A UN Development Programme (UNDP) report assessed human development downturns and spillover costs in Gaza’s neighboring countries, estimating that 230,000 people will fall into poverty in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon if the war ends within three months.
The report examined regional impacts caused by the 2003 Iraq invasion, the 2008-2009 war in Gaza, and the Syria crisis, ongoing since 2011.
Since the Hamas attack on October 7, over 18,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, with 282 killed in the Occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Read Also: Israeli Occupation Forces Killed 18,682 in Gaza, Occupied West Bank
“Firstly, there must be an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. This war is catastrophic for the Palestinian people. And if it goes on, its impact will potentially reverberate outwards to neighboring countries in the Arab States region,” said Abdallah Al Dardari, Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States, UNDP.
Without an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza,” socioeconomic impacts of the crisis may “reverberate outwards to neighboring countries in the Arab States region.” he added.
These pressures are compounded by the global economic crises and local economic challenges from COVID-19 that have recently confronted Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan.
Adding to “existing vulnerabilities,” the drastic impacts wrought by the Gaza war waged on these countries’ doorsteps poses a risk to the “modest gains” they have made to get back on track, stressed Al-Dardari.
If the war continues into 2024, 500,000 additional people are expected to be hit by poverty, warned the report’s authors.
They forecasted that the three neighboring countries would be stricken with intensified socioeconomic impacts, and the aggregate total GDP loss may rise to $18 billion or 4%.
In the event that the war expands geographically, the impacts will be “more exponentially pronounced”, urging for measuresto cease the “unspeakable devastation” inflicted on Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory.
