The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

Demography of the Gaza Strip
An estimated 1.1 million people, or three-quarters of the entire population,
are Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA. About half a million ref -
ugees live in Gaza’s eight refugee camps.
The population in Gaza is young, with children under fifteen accounting
for 43%. The population growth rate of 3.2% is one of the highest in the
world, as is the fertility rate of 4.7. Life expectancy is 73 years, which is
good in comparison with other developing countries, but the main challenge
is not only to let people live long lives, but also to enable them to
have good lives, rather than suffering from disease, disabilities and hopelessness,
with no vision for a good future for them or for the coming gen -
eration. The literacy rate, the percentage of those above the age of fifteen
who can read and write, is 96.7% for males and 88% for females.
Economic overview
Years of occupation, conflict, high population density, limited land and
sea access, blockade with continuing isolation, and strict internal and
external security controls have degraded economic conditions in the
Gaza Strip. Israeli-imposed crossings closures, which became more re -
strictive after Hamas violently took over the territory in June 2007, and
Israel military operations in Gaza during December 2008 and January
2009, resulted in the near collapse of most of the private sector, extrem -
ely high unemployment, and high poverty rates.
Shortages of goods have been met by large-scale humanitarian assistance,
led by UNRWA which is the largest humanitarian agency in Gaza,
together with other UN agencies and international civil society and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs), in addition to the Hamas-regulated
black market tunnel trade that flourishes under the Gaza Strip’s border
with Egypt. However, changes to the blockade in 2010 included moving
from a “white list” system, under which only approved items were allowed
into Gaza, to a “black list”, under which all but non-approved
items are now allowed in. Israeli authorities have recently signalled that
exports from the territory might be possible in the future, but currently,
regular exports from Gaza are not permitted.
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