GAZA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of charity campaigns have been launched in the Gaza Strip recently in a bid to pool aid for needy families in the besieged coastal enclave.

Organized by local merchants, shop owners, and affluent people, the campaigns extended a helping hand to the financially-strapped Gazans.

Rajab Naseer, a grocery shop owner in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, decided to exempt dozens of his clients from paying their overdue debts, which amounted to more than 2,500 U.S. dollars.

"Such an amount of money will not greatly impact my business, but will definitely double the burden of the needy families, as most of them do not have permanent sources of income to support their daily expenses," the 50-year-old father of five told Xinhua.

Naseer added that "most of the families in Gaza are struggling to meet their daily needs, including food, clothes, electricity and water supply."

The middle-aged man, along with other shop owners, hopes the campaign could alleviate the psychological sufferings of locals mired in economic hardships.

Shaher Abu Odeh, a mobile phone shop owner, also exempted dozens of his customers from paying debts totaling 8,000 dollars.

"Because of the political instability, most of the local residents, either rich or poor, have been negatively affected economically or psychologically," the 43-year-old man told Xinhua, adding that he believed these charity campaigns would promote balance and solidarity between and within neighborhoods.

Mohammed al-Shorafa, a clothing businessman, not only relieved the debts of his customers but also provided 200 free school uniforms for local students in the upcoming school year.

He said it is sad to see some families chose not to send their children to school because of their inability to afford basic necessities such as uniforms and stationery.

Israel has imposed a tight siege on the Gaza Strip since the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) took control of the region in 2007. It also launches intermittent military operations against the coastal enclave, further worsening its dire economic situation.

According to statistics issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, about 45 percent of 2.3 million Gaza residents are unemployed, while about 80 percent of the population depends on aid provided by international organizations.

Tasaheel Abu Jazar has utterly lived on aid from the UN relief agency in Palestine to support her seven children.

"Life is not based on food only. There are other necessities we need, such as healthy and decent living conditions for our children," the 49-year-old woman lamented.

"Without the charity initiatives launched by merchants and philanthropists in Gaza, I would not have been able to send my children to school because I can't afford school items such as uniforms and stationery," she added.

Instead of receiving aid from others, Jazar stressed that her husband, the only breadwinner of the family, needs to find a job "to keep the children afloat."

Samir Abu Mudallala, a Gaza-based economist, praised the initiatives as a pivotal step to enhance community cohesion in Gaza Strip.

However, Abu Mudallala said these initiatives contributed little to solving the crisis in the Strip, highlighting the need to find real solutions to the problems of poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. ■