Gaza is world's worst place to live, Polish aid group says

A joint U.N., World Bank and European Union report has estimated nearly USD 130 billion in damage from two years of conflict in Gaza, recording the lowest Human Development Index score ever measured, a Polish medical aid organization said Wednesday.

FILE PHOTO: Alaa Jouda, 38, construction worker, and his family stand outside his temporary shelter he built on top of the ruins of his destroyed home in Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, 11 May 2026. Alaa Jouda, 38, who supports his family of seven, retrieves wood that he had used in his construction work before 07 October 2023 from beneat

EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

The Polish Medical Mission (PMM), which operates in Gaza among other regions, summarized the April 20 report, describing the territory as currently "the worst place to live in the world".

The report assessed damage and losses in Gaza between 2023 and 2025, finding that the scale of hardship had set back the territory's development by 77 years. Gaza's Human Development Index — a measure tracked since 1990 — is projected to fall to 0.339, below levels previously recorded in Somalia and South Sudan.

"In terms of reconstruction, the three sectors with the greatest needs are construction, agriculture and health. Their devastation affects the daily, catastrophic situation of Palestinians", said Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart of PMM, citing the lack of access to basic food ingredients needed to prepare a nutritious meal.

Her colleague Ewa Piekarska-Dymus added: "The lack of medicines, clean water and destroyed hospitals are killing people slowly, quietly".

PMM said it has worked with local partners in Gaza for years to support civilians. Since March, it has been co-financing a wound care clinic at a hospital in Khan Younis in cooperation with local organization GLIA. Last year the group raised funds for monthly emergency shifts by Jordanian medical teams at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza City.

(jh)

Source: Polish Radio