Readers React: If the situation in Gaza doesn’t improve, desperate Palestinians will have one place to go: Israel

To the editor: The economic and living conditions in the Gaza Strip have reached their lowest point since I’ve been alive — and I’ve lived most of my life in Gaza. (“Neither Israel nor Hamas wants another war in Gaza. That might not be enough to stop one,” Feb. 7)

There seems to be a consensus among the people of Gaza that this is the worst it has been by far. The reason for that is the cumulative effect of a 10-year-old blockade and three Israeli wars here, a situation that has been exacerbated by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ sanctions against Gaza to pressure Hamas out of power. Things will definitely get worse because of a critical cut in the funding the United States supplies the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

If the extreme suffering here continues, the protests along our border with Israel will grow substantially. The situation is so dire that I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of thousands of disadvantaged and destitute Gazans storming into southern Israel.

After all, desperate people have poured across borders before.

Ali Adam, Gaza City

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook