The Economic Planning Authority released today the results of a study of the Gaza Strip that revealed that when Israel took over the territory in June, 320,000 were unemployed and dependent on relief.
The Authority said the population of the 200-square mile area was 380,000, of whom 270,000 were refugees. The Egyptians had put the refugee total at more than 300,000. All the refugees were without jobs. An additional 50,000 of the permanent population of the area were also jobless and on relief.
The Authority estimated that per capita annual income was $125, compared to about twice that of the population on the West Bank, and about one-tenth of the Israeli per capita income.
The report noted that the only modern industry in the Strip was a plant producing citrus products. It employed 80 workers. Residents of the Strip were not admitted to Egypt without special permits. The Authority reported that the Sinai Peninsula, an area of 37,000 square miles, had a population of only 130,000.
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