March 03, 2010 

John Holmes, the United Nation's humanitarian chief, has revisited the Gaza Strip, a year after Israel's assault on the territory ended.

He told Al Jazeera that it was disappointing how little has changed since the war and that there has been no real possibility of reconstruction, mainly because of Israel's siege of the Strip.

He said the blockade resulted in misery for the Palestinians.

"They're living in a kind of open-air prison. They're still suffering from this kind of collective punishment they've been suffering for three years now."

After also visiting the occupied West Bank, Holmes said the situation was not good there either, with the combination of settlements and the separation wall causing hardships for the Palestinians.

"We need to tackle all those problems as well if we can.

Source: Al Jazeera