Unemployment in the Gaza Strip has reached nearly 80 per cent since the confict with Israel erupted last October, the United Nations labour agency has said, bringing the average unemployment rate across Palestinian territories to more than 50pc, Reuters reports.

Unemployment in the Gaza Strip has reached 79.1pc, while the West Bank has seen joblessness hit nearly 32pc, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in its fourth assessment of the impact of the war on employment. The figures give a combined unemployment rate of 50.8pc.

“This excludes Palestinians who have given up on finding a job,” said Ruba Jaradat, ILO Regional Director for Arab States. “The situation is much worse.”

“Imagine with this very high level of unemployment, people will not be able to secure food for themselves and for their families,” Jaradat said.

“This is also impacting their health…. Even if they have money, there are no hospitals that can accommodate the catastrophic situation there.”