Blockaded Gaza has become 'disaster zone': Activist

The Gaza Strip has officially become a "disaster zone", the Charity Coalition, an umbrella organization for Islamic charity groups, said Thursday.

"We therefore announce the launch of the Safe Gaza Initiative with a view to meeting the basic needs of Gaza's two million inhabitants," coalition coordinator Ahmad al-Kurd said at a press conference in Gaza City.

Al-Kurd called on Arab and Muslim relief agencies, along with international aid organizations, to take immediate steps aimed at "rescuing Gazans from the steadily deteriorating conditions they face."

Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has groaned under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade that continues to deprive its inhabitants of many essential commodities, including food, fuel, medicine and building materials.

According to al-Kurd, roughly 80 percent of the strip's inhabitants now live in poverty as a direct result of the ongoing embargo.