JERUSALEM, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- A U.N. relief agency warned Thursday that Gaza’s economy could stop completely if border crossings remain closed.
The Karni crossing with Israel, the route for incoming and outgoing goods, has been closed since the Hamas takeover in Gaza, The New York Times reported.
"Gaza risks becoming a virtually 100 percent aid-dependent, closed-down and isolated community within a matter of months or weeks if the present regime of closure continues," Filippo Grandi, the deputy head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said at a news conference.
Israel and the United States have offered economic aid to President Mahmoud Abbas, head of Fatah, who controls the West Bank.
Salaam Fayad, Abbas’ hand-picked prime minister, said Fatah can do nothing about conditions in Gaza.
“We are not there now," said Fayad. "Hamas is there.”
