ROME, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Growing unemployment and poverty have left almost half of Palestinians living in Gaza Strip and the West Bank malnourished, the United Nations said.
More Palestinians are struggling because of decreased trade and a weakened economy, said the U.N. World Food Program Thursday, in advance of a report on the occupied Palestinian territory due later this month.
The report said "84 percent of Gazans and 60 percent of West Bankers" had a lower standard of living in 2006 than previously.
"The poorest families are now living a meager existence totally reliant on assistance, with no electricity or heating and eating food prepared with water from bad sources," said Arnold Vercken, WFP's director for Palestine.
Many Palestinian families have become mired in poverty and debt, forcing them to "sell off valuable livelihood assets such as land or tools," the report said. Food donations to the Palestinians by the WFP went up 25 percent in 2006 to 600,000 tons.
Various restrictions have been placed on international aid to the Palestinians since Hamas won leadership of the territories in January 2006.
