If the war in Gaza continues for a second month the poverty rate in the State of Palestine will soar by 34 percent, thrusting nearly half a million additional people into poverty, as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) plummets by 8.4 percent—a loss of US$1.7 billion—according to initial estimates by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

If the war in Gaza continues for a second month the poverty rate in the State of Palestine will soar by 34 percent, thrusting nearly half a million additional people into poverty, as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) plummets by 8.4 percent—a loss of US$1.7 billion—according to initial estimates by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).