GAZA, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- To Abu Ghanem, a father of eight children, the direness of living condition in the cut-off homeland of Gaza after Hamas movement's takeover of power from President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces in June was so unbearable.

    Abu Ghanem, 37, is only one of the Gazans who are so fed up with the harsh circumstances the strip has been going through, as basic necessities like food, medicine and fuel are now the only things allowed to enter the enclave.

    Israel has closed all the crossing points into and out of the Gaza Strip when Hamas, listed by Europe and the United States as a terrorist organization, took control of the strip by force in mid June.

    Leaning back in a wood chair in one of Gaza's older-style cafes and puffing smokes on a water pipe, Abu Ghanem said the Israeli measures took away many Gazans' livelihood, adding he and his other three friends have nothing to do at the moment but are killing time by playing cards.

    Nearby, old and middle-aged men sitting on low chairs around small tables, sipping tea, smoking water pipes and watching people pass. "That is what Gazan men do," Abu Ghanem said.

    Abu Ghanem and his friends were workers in Israel before the second Intifada started in 2000 and used to make as much as 2,000U.S. dollars a month.

    But now Abu Ghanem has been mainly depending on donations from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and his savings ran out two years ago.

    Over 100,000 Palestinians used to work in Israel. Now because of the current crisis the Israeli army prevents the majority from leaving Gaza.

    "I used to travel to Israel in my own car and I visited my hometown inside Israel several times and no one prevented me from doing so. Now I cannot even approach Erez crossing point," lamented Abu Ghanem.

    UN data reveals that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the125,000 who used to work in Israel, in settlements or in joint industrial zones, have lost their jobs since the second Intifada.

    In addition, according to the UN, about 80,000 Palestinian workers inside the territories are also losing their jobs.

    With that, the health, economic and social situation in Gaza Strip deteriorated.

    Waleed el-Louh, Head of the Press Center in Palestinian State Service, said that about 85 percent of the 1.2 million people now living in the Gaza Strip are below the poverty line. In the West Bank, the rate stays at around 60 percent.

    Abu Ghanem also blamed the conflicting Palestinian factions for their status-quo, saying "the Palestinian people have been longing for freedom for decades and when we finally got part of it, factional greed spoiled it and things only got worse."

    "This situation is unbearable. We have not been struggling for this, and even a statehood doesn't deserve this. We are all brothers. If brothers kill each other, then even the Israel rule is better than this," he added.

    Some disillusioned Palestinians also doubted Palestinian politicians as a whole and said that they do not think things would get any better with the Palestinian National Authority, which is so corrupt.

    "Maybe the reopening of the crossings and making peace with Israel will help a bit, but corruption is an obstacle in way of progress," said Abu Mohamed, one of Abu Ghanem's unemployed friends.

    Another friend who gave his name as Ibrahim said corruption even increased within Hamas after it took over power in Gaza.

    Hamas defeated President Abbas's Fatah party in the 2006elections only because of a cleaner record of corruption.

    "Hamas now reminds me of Abu Mazen (President Abbas). When came to power, he said he would fight corruption and lawlessness, but the situation worsened. So he lost Gaza Strip to Hamas, but now Hamas is on a similar track." said Ibrahim.

    Violence between Israel and the Palestinians flared up on Sunday, two days before an international peace conference scheduled for Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland in the United States.

    Three Palestinian militants were killed, and seven others were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the armed clashes with Israeli soldiers.

    In a bid to jump-start the long-dormant Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, U.S. President George W. Bush decided to host the Mideast peace conference in Annapolis on Nov. 27.

    However, neither Israelis nor the Palestinians hold much high expectations for the meeting as weeks of intense talks between the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams have failed to produce a joint statement for the meeting to serve as basis for final status talks.

    While wishing the Annapolis a success, Gazans also questioned when is the end to their hardships and sufferings.