UN Report: Gaza will not be 'liveable by 2020'

A United Nations report has stated that the Gaza Strip will not be "a liveable place" by 2020 if actions are not taken to improve essential services in the narrow strip.

BBC and Haaretz quote the report as stating that basic infrastructure and services are "struggling to keep pace with a growing population." It also predicts that the Gaza population will increase from the 1.6 million of present to 2.1 million by 2020. UN humanitarian coordination Maxwell Gaylard has told journalists that, "Actions needs to be taken now if Gaza is to be a liveable place in 2020 and it is already difficult now." He also stated that actions must be "taken on fundamental aspects of life: water sanitation, electricity, education, health and other aspects." The UN report estimates that the strip will need twice the amount of schools and 800 more hospital beds by 2020. It also direly warns that the coastal aquifer which is the territories only natural source of fresh water may be rendered unusable by 2016. UN officials have also stated that the situation is difficult to improve because of "the closure of the Gaza Strip, violent conflict, and the pressing need for Palestinian reconciliation."