1000 health workers, 200 journalists died in Gaza since beginning of war: report

  CAIRO – 16 May 2025: The International Labour Organization's annual report, which will be presented during the 113th session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva (June 2-13, 2025), reveals an unprecedentedly catastrophic situation for the labor market in the occupied Palestinian territories, documenting for the first time the final figures for the human and economic losses resulting from the war.

The report highlights the humanitarian tragedy experienced by Palestinian workers.

The war resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians by the end of March 2025, including thousands of workers, and the forced displacement of approximately 1.9 million people, representing 90% of Gaza's population, most of whom have been displaced more than once.

Workers in vital sectors were directly targeted. The report documented the deaths of 1,000 health workers and more than 200 journalists, while approximately 280 United Nations organizations were put out of service.

The report documented an unprecedented collapse in the Palestinian economy, with Gaza's GDP declining by 83% compared to 2022, shrinking the sector's contribution to the Palestinian economy to just 3%, while the West Bank economy contracted by 17%.

The report indicated that approximately 155,000 Palestinian workers in the West Bank lost their jobs, including 140,000 who worked inside Israel and the settlements, resulting in an annual loss of wages amounting to $3 billion for Palestinian workers.

The report indicated that Israeli restrictions on movement and work resulted in serious violations of workers' rights, including working without permits, lack of protection against work-related injuries, and wage discrimination inside Israel and the settlements.

The report documented the suffering of thousands of Palestinian workers who are forced to risk their lives by crossing the separation barrier without permits in search of a livelihood. The report estimated the economic losses resulting from the war at more than $53 billion, according to estimates by the World Bank, the European Union, and the United Nations, during the first 10 years of reconstruction.

The report revealed that the Palestinian Authority's tax revenues declined by 19%, and that Israel deducted 3 billion shekels from customs clearance revenues, forcing the Palestinian Authority to cut public sector employee salaries by between 60% and 70%.