Just how bad is it in Gaza?

BEFORE THE war, Gaza was something of a paradox. It was one of the most aid-dependent places in the world: repeated wars and an crushed the private sector. Yet the sprawling humanitarian operation that cared for 80% of 2.2m Gazans relied on the private sector. If a charity needed flour, it rang up a trader in Gaza, who called a mill in Israel or the West Bank. Aid workers might handle the last-mile delivery to bakeries and families—but businesses took care of the rest.It may sound absurd to talk about supply chains in the context of a war that has, in just three months, killed 1% of Gaza’s population and damaged around one-fifth of its buildings. South Africa has accused . This is a highly contentious claim. Nonetheless the deepening humanitarian crisis is among the worst of the 21st century. Aid agencies say that, if nothing changes, more Palestinians in Gaza will die this year from than from Israeli bombardment.