AP:

The head of the U.N. agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees said Wednesday that Israel’s near economic blockade of the Gaza Strip is fueling support for extremists and shattering hopes for a peaceful future. “They’re trying to punish those who’ve taken control of Gaza but in fact they’re punishing everybody inside Gaza, a very small percentage of whom support the people who are controlling Gaza right now,” Karen Koning AbuZayd of the United Nations Works and Relief Agency said. The violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last June by the Islamic militants of the Hamas movement, and their continual rocketing of Israel, has led to Gaza’s increasing isolation. In September, Israel declared Gaza a “hostile entity,” clearing the way for economic sanctions.