Gaza Underground Economy 1/2

Aired on June 5, 2007
Gaza has been effectively sealed off in a vacuum for years now. Border crossings have been constricted or shut down completely. On top of this, an economic blockade by western countries in response to Hamas' victory at the polls is compounding the misery.

So Gaza's marketplace has been forced underground and a tunnel trade has blossomed, placing the border town of Raffa at the centre of the new commerce.

We dig deeper into Gaza's hidden underground economy. Avi talks to Israel's Ambassador to Canada, Allan Baker, from Ottawa about the Israeli response to the lucrative Palestinian tunnel trade.

FACTS:
According to the United Nations, the poverty rate has gone up to almost 80% in Gaza.
The unemployment rate is above 35%.
Three-quarters of all families live in poverty.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Gaza