Palestine Crisis Continues One Year After Israeli War on Gaza

One year after the Israeli assault on Gaza, Palestinians are still feeling the devastating impacts of the 2014 Israeli assault on the enclave.

The 51-day offensive left over 2,200 people dead, including hundreds of children, and destroyed more than 12,000 homes – none of which have been rebuilt. Addressing the U.N. following the attack, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called Israel's military action toward Gaza a “war of genocide.”

Amid stalled reconstruction, @UNRWA chief warns 'root causes' of #Gaza crisis still unresolved http://t.co/BRlzdWQK4k pic.twitter.com/eMjkPBvxOZ

— UN News Centre (@UN_News_Centre) July 8, 2015

According to the U.N., the rate of reconstruction has been slow in Gaza, and the humanitarian situation remains a major concern.

“Gaza is still in crisis, with civilians, as always, paying the highest price,” said the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory Robert Piper.

RELATED: 'Genocide in Gaza': Israel's War One Year On

A year after the devastating assault, at least 100,000 people remain internally displaced, and another 120,000 still have yet to be reconnected to a water supply. Health facilities are lacking, unemployment is soaring at 43 percent, and food insecurity impacts a staggering 73 percent of the population. The U.N. estimated that some 80 percent of the population in Gaza depends on humanitarian aid for survival, mainly food.

What it's like to live in #Gaza today. RT to call for an end to the blockade http://t.co/7s3Mxd4JPf #Gaza1YearOn pic.twitter.com/ibSIZ5086f

— Oxfam International (@Oxfam) July 8, 2015

“The physical and psychological scars are everywhere to be seen in the Gaza Strip,” said Pierre Krahenbuhl, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency assisting Palestinian refugees.

“Countless children live with the traumas endured during the war and over a thousand live with what will be life-long disabilities. This should be a reminder that conflicts are first and foremost measured by the human cost that they inflict.”

RELATED: The No Nonsense Gaza Crisis 2014 Timeline

While the war left serious damage, the deeper root causes of the crisis also remain unaddressed.

“Simply restoring households to pre-war levels of vulnerability is not enough,” said Piper. “Palestinians in Gaza need to be lifted out of this self-perpetuating cycle of crisis.”

UNWRA called for “resolute political action,” including lifting the eight-year Israeli blockade on Gaza to enable the much-needed flow of goods and people.

End the blockade of #Gaza and let farmers & businesses export their produce again http://t.co/7s3Mxd4JPf #Gaza1YearOn pic.twitter.com/M1NbHmbIfS

— Oxfam International (@Oxfam) July 8, 2015

Oxfam echoed calls for dismantling the blockade on the war anniversary. “Gaza needs urgent rebuilding, but its people also need to be able to move and trade, and to have jobs in a functioning economy,” said Oxfam's Regional Manager Catherine Essoya. “Long term peace will require economic development and ensuring people's basic rights, which can only come through an end to the blockade.”

RELATED: Daily Life in Gaza Under the Israeli Blockade

Israel's imposed separation of the West Bank and Gaza has also had devastating economic and employmeny impacts, according to Oxfam.

Palestinians still face constant Israeli violence, despite a temporary ceasefire last year. There have been hundreds of incidents of Israeli fire into Gaza, including naval fire toward fisherman, while Israeli restrictions have cut off Palestinian fishers and farmers from the coastline and farmlands they rely on for their livelihoods.