The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday left interest rates unchanged at a 22-year high of 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent as recent consumer data indicates that inflation continued to pick up.
For now, the Fed has kept their benchmark rate unchanged for a sixth straight time since September last year.
The central bank's latest decision came just a few days after the Commerce Department reported on Friday that the U.S. personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed's preferred inflation measure, ticked up to 2.7 percent in March.
Amid stubborn inflation that shows no sign of abating, U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed significantly to an annual rate of 1.6 percent in the first quarter, marking a sharp drop from the 3.4 percent in the fourth quarter, according to data released last week.
In addition, data released by the U.S. Department of Labor showed that the U.S. consumer price index (CPI), a key inflation gauge, rose 3.5 percent in March, up 0.3 percent from February, higher than expectations and marking an acceleration for inflation.
US Fed keeps interest rates unchanged at 5.25-5.5 pct as inflation ticks up
US Fed keeps interest rates unchanged at 5.25-5.5 pct as inflation ticks up
The Israeli military has continued its military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, forcing a large number of Gaza residents to flee to Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis. The so-called humanitarian zone, as decreed by Israel, is in fact a sandy wasteland with almost no facilities to provide basic humanitarian needs.
Al-Mawasi stretches approximately 12 kilometers long and one kilometer wide, occupying just 4 percent of the entire Gaza Strip. Once a coastal desert with about 9,000 residents, it now shelters hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
Makeshift tents constructed from wooden boards and plastic sheets divide the once sandy ground into narrow pathways, surrounded by heaps of trash and clothes worn by refugees, who walk barefoot on the sandy terrain.
Raed Abu Taima, a man in his 40s from central Gaza, has experienced the hardships of displacement. Over the past six months, he and his family have repeatedly fled due to Israeli military actions.
"We left our home with nothing and sought refuge in a school. We lived there for four months until the Israeli army surrounded us and forced us to leave. We didn't even have blankets. We walked through the Israeli checkpoints to reach Rafah. We have no tents or blankets, we have nothing," he said.
However, before reaching Rafah, Raed encountered another Israeli military blockade and was apprehended for 52 days. It was only after the Israeli army determined that he had no affiliation with armed organizations that he was released in Khan Yunis. Thereafter, Raed embarked on a search to find his family in Al-Mawasi.
Although he was eventually reunited with his family, Raed found that Al-Mawasi lacks any public services. Food is sporadically distributed by UN agencies and consists of limited supplies of flour and vegetables, while water needs to be fetched from distant wells. Every day, Raed scours for firewood and scraps of paper to cook meals.
"We don't have gas for cooking, and there is no food available in the market. Food and basic supplies are only distributed to us through relief organizations. Our lives seem to have turned into a desert. Poor sanitation conditions have led to the spread of diseases among children. One of my children has diarrhea and another has contracted chickenpox," he said.
Displaced Gaza residents suffer unbearable anguish in "humanitarian zone"
Displaced Gaza residents suffer unbearable anguish in "humanitarian zone"
