GAZA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Marking the International Youth Day, Palestinian young people organized a campaign in Gaza City demanding to change the difficult reality and remove the obstacles they face in the blockaded coastal enclave.

Lasting for several days, the campaign kicked off with a demonstration on Wednesday in front of the headquarters of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Gaza.

Inspired by Palestinian folklore, young Palestinian men performed a traditional Dabke dance, while young artists painted murals and carried Palestinian flags.

Salah Abdul Ati, one of the campaign's organizers, told Xinhua that we came here "on the occasion of International Youth Day to pass a message. We want to save the youth of Gaza ... save the youth of Palestine."

"There are no people in the world whose main pillar, the youth, can cope with the Israeli blockade, internal Palestinian division, poverty and unemployment that we endure right now," he added.

Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is home to 2 million people since mid 2007, which led to a notable deterioration of economic and social conditions.

Besides, Israel launched three large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip between 2008 and 2014, which left thousands dead and injured, and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, industry and agriculture.

"Palestinian youths are facing an unknown fate. We have come here to say we will not accept the destruction of our dreams, the destruction of our freedom, independence and decent life," Zahra Abu Shaaban, a local activist told Xinhua.

She stressed that the Israeli blockade had led to the deterioration of the humanitarian conditions and contributed to the dire economic situation of the strip's young population.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abu Qamar, another activist in his 30s, told Xinhua that all we want is to "live in dignity, freedom, and choose our representatives through elections and active participation in official and civil institutions."

He added that thousands of young people have been unemployed for years and are unable to move and travel.

He called on the Palestinian leadership and factions "to be united in order to find realistic solutions for the youth that would restore hope, ambition, and confidence in themselves and in the future."

Meanwhile, on Thursday, a group of young people organized an exhibition of handicrafts and products at the Palestine Hotel in Gaza City, which aimed to support them in light of the severe economic conditions.

Sawsan al-Khalili, who exhibited a group of embroideries, said that the move came to support young entrepreneurs because of the severe economic conditions they suffer from.

Al-Khalili called on the Palestinian Authority to provide job opportunities for the Palestinian youths and grant them the opportunities to express themselves "as they are capable of production and creativity."

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said that the rate of unemployment among the Palestinian males had reached 31 percent, while it reached 63 percent among Palestinian females. Enditem

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