Israel aims to force Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to leave the enclave through a strategy of pressuring them and making their living conditions hard, says a UN special rapporteur.

“One of the tactics I think is to demoralize the Palestinians to an extent that at least a large number of them will seek to leave,” Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, told Press TV in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

“And … I think it is also a way of keeping the situation under a permanent form of control that eliminates any possibility of real political challenge from the Palestinians,” Falk went on to say.

The UN’s special rapporteur made the remarks after the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees announced that Israel has “deliberately” impoverished Palestinians in the Gaza Strip through its strict siege on the enclave. read more