UNCTAD called Gaza's situation a "human-made abyss" in its report.

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UNCTAD's November 2025 report used the phrase "human-made abyss" to describe Gaza's economic collapse, emphasizing that this wasn't a natural disaster but a direct result of military operations and blockades. The report documented that Gaza's GDP per capita plunged to $161—among the world's lowest, below many of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa. UNCTAD Coordinator Mutasim Elagraa noted this reversed 22 years of development, erasing all economic gains since 2002. The "human-made" framing is crucial because it identifies specific decision-makers: Israeli military planners who struck over 62,000 targets, destroying 70% of structures, and Israeli officials who controlled border crossings that choked off reconstruction materials. Unlike earthquakes or floods, this destruction resulted from deliberate policy choices—Israel's refusal to allow cement imports, its bombing of factories and hospitals, and its siege that pushed all 2.3 million people into poverty. The phrase appears in UNCTAD's official press materials and became widely quoted because it captures how political decisions by Netanyahu's government and the IDF created economic devastation that will take decades to reverse.

UNCTAD called Gaza's situation a "human-made abyss" in its report.

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