On Thursday (October 12th) local time, the President of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Georgieva, stated that the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may cast a shadow over the already bleak global economic outlook.
Georgieva attended the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's autumn 2023 annual meeting in Marrakech, Morocco on Thursday. She said, "We are closely monitoring the development of the situation, especially its impact on the oil market
Georgieva added that there have been some fluctuations in international oil prices and market reactions, but it is still too early to predict the economic impact. She said at a press conference that it is clear that this is a "new cloud" enveloping the economic outlook.
The Palestinian health department in the Gaza Strip announced on the afternoon of the 12th local time that as of 13:00 on the same day, the death toll caused by the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip has increased to 1354, and the number of injured has increased to 6049.
Based on previous reports from Israeli media and the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 1300 people have died and 3297 have been injured in Israel; 29 people have died and approximately 180 have been injured in the West Bank region of the Jordan River in Palestine. The new round of conflict between Palestine and Israel has resulted in over 2600 deaths and over 9500 injuries on both sides.
Georgieva pointed out that the current characteristics of the global economy are weak growth, deepening economic differentiation and divisions, and severe shocks are becoming the new normal. It is expected that interest rates will remain high for a longer period of time to curb sustained high inflation.
Georgieva called on all countries to avoid escalating the situation and focus on cooperation areas. She said, 'We really need to improve our flexibility in predicting shocks and responding quickly.'
French Finance Minister Le Maire has warned that any escalation of conflicts in any region will have serious economic consequences for energy prices and global economic growth.