A survey by Near East Consulting (NEC) on Sunday showed that about 65 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza live below the poverty line, a reflection of deepening hardship since the Hamas-led government was formed in March.

There has been an average monthly increase of 3 percent in poverty since Hamas came to power," said Jamil Rabah, director of NEC.

The Ramallah-based company said a telephone survey of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza showed the percentage of poor had risen from 50 percent in March to 65 percent in August.

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The survey defines poverty as a monthly income below NIS 2,000 for a family of four adults and two children.

According to the report, some 38 percent of Palestinians live in extreme hardship, defined as a monthly income below NIS 1,000 for a similar household.

The international community cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas, an Islamic militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, formed a government after winning a general election in January.

More than 165,000 Palestinian government employees have gone largely unpaid since March and began an open-ended strike for wages last week.

According to the survey, 62 percent of Palestinians support the strike, which has paralyzed government services and shut schools.

"All our polls have shown that the peoples' priorities have shifted from interest in corruption to unemployment and poverty. This is what concerns people the most now," Rabah said.