UN envoy: Gaza is an open-air prison

John Holmes, the United Nations 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 this kind of collective punishment they've been suffering for three years now."