The United Nations is warning the Palestinian enclave of Gaza will no longer be livable by 2020 unless urgent steps are taken to improve basics including water supply, power, health and education. U.N. humanitarian coordinator Maxwell Gaylard says Gaza’s basic infrastructure has been crippled by the U.S.-backed Israeli occupation and blockade.

Maxwell Gaylard: “Action needs to be taken right now on fundamental aspects of life in Gaza — water and sanitation, electricity, education, health and so on. Action needs to happen now, if Gaza is to be a livable place in 2020, and it’s already difficult now. Despite their best efforts, the Palestinians in Gaza still need help. They do. They’re under blockade. They’re under occupation. So, they need our help, both politically and practically on the ground in the ways I described.”

Eighty percent of Gaza residents rely on aid to survive, and many derive their only income from underground trade. Gaza’s water needs are dire and only stand to increase, with its water aquifer becoming potentially unusable by 2016.