GAZA, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Palestinian workers in Gaza took to the streets on Thursday, demanding more jobs and a pay increase.
The Gazan workers who have endured economic hardship and harsh living conditions for more than 16 years took part in the rally to make a strong appeal to authorities and local businesses for a real solution, Abdul Karim al-Khalidi from the Trade Union Action Front in Gaza told Xinhua.
Samih al-Masri, a worker from Beit Lahia in the north of Gaza, said the years-long Israeli blockade and internal Palestinian division deepen Gaza's economic struggle.
More than half of the Palestinians in Gaza have no source of income as a result of the Israeli blockade imposed on the territory since 2007, according to the General Union of Palestinian Workers in Gaza.
A recent report issued by the General Union of Palestinian Workers (GUPW) shows that Gaza's unemployment rate has exceeded 60 percent, poverty rates reached 64 percent, and food insecurity rates at 70 percent.
As a result, nearly 1.5 million Gazans depend on aid provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and other relief institutions, according to the GUPW report.
