Guess what? After the Raffah crossing is open since the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan for the first time, Gaza people, especially youths, found their way to ‘emigrate’ outside the enclave. The decade-long siege, the unemployment, which increased to more than 80%, and poverty are among the most important reasons that led some of the unemployed, even the employed, youth in the Gaza Strip to emigrate abroad to secure their future.
Recent reports stated that more than 13,000 of youths with mature minds and dreamed sights from Gaza have left the Strip during last month, which is a shocking number, while Facebook unofficial pages posted names of famous talented doctors from Gaza who also emigrated outside!
Gaza has an exceptional high education rate and young population; one-fifth of the population has a bachelor’s or associate degree, and 64 percent are under 25 years old. The literacy rate is 96.9 %, which could be the highest compared to other advanced countries! This means Gaza can be as advanced as other spots of the world IF situations get better.
Despite the fact that most Arab youths try to leave their countries due to the lack of work and stability, Palestinians are the most seekers to emigrate as they live in the largest open prison. As the youths finished their university, their goal turns to find a safer place than Gaza, especially after local and international organizations warned that Gaza will be unlivable in 2020!
‘Silent Immigration’ of Palestinians youths from Gaza to other countries sounded the alarm already, and real social catastrophes would begin ending up Gaza social ladder, which would need international efforts to be done in order to be stopped.
If the Palestinian and the Israeli decision makers, however, don’t try to solve the catastrophic economical and humanitarian situations of the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, Gaza will be empty of youths, who are the power and the soul of the besieged Strip.
After meeting with Egyptian President and Jordanian King, US Kushner met today with the Israeli Prime Minister discussing President Trump’s ‘Century Deal’ or ‘Peace Deal’. After then end of the three-hour long meeting, the Israeli Haaretz daily reported on Friday that the plan is due to be proposed by the US administratoin, and will reportedly include offering Abu Dis town (East of Jerusalem) to become the capital of a future shrunk Palestinian state instead of Jerusalem, in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
According to the American vision of the peace plan, Israel will have to separate from four neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem, Shu’fat, Jabal al-Mukaber, Isawiya and Abu Dis, and transfer it to the Palestinian Authority and separate it from Jerusalem. Israeli on the other hand will not be asked to withdraw from Israeli settlements in Aghwar.
Responding to the leaks, the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) on Friday said that the American moves in the region, which come under the title of “improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza” constitute a great contradiction with the recent US positions which included reducing its contributions to UNRWA and cutting off aid to the Palestinian Authority.
At the same time, reports from Gaza states that Hamas would be ready to reach a long ceasefire with Israel in exchange of having an airport and a seaport in addition to improving Gaza humanitarian situations.
What’s going to happen, in my point of view, is that politicians will try to convince Palestinian leadership and the Arab leaders to make a Palestinian State in the Gaza Strip and in some parts of the West Bank, a step Palestinians will compete refuse. However, Palestinians of Gaza have been waiting for any solution that can end their decade-long siege imposed on the enclave in 2007. So will Trump’s Deal be the breeze they have been waiting for, or it will be a curse that would worsen the Palestinian case and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?
You know it’s hard times in Gaza when the best families can do as they shop for holiday clothes is to buy secondhand Israeli goods. And that is the situation this year as the 2 million residents prepare for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.
Unemployment has soared to 44 percent overall and 60 percent among youth in the wake of the Palestinian Authority’s salary restrictions and U.S. cuts in aid to UNRWA, the UN refugee agency. About half of the population lives in extreme poverty.
During the Eid holiday, a typically joyful time like the Christian Christmas and Jewish Hanukkah, parents buy new clothes for children, women buy cakes and cookies, and families visit their relatives with gifts. When you have no money however, it’s difficult to honor the traditions.
One recent day, I encountered Mohammed Abu Safi, 18, and his mother in Gaza’s Omer Mukhtar market, looking for inexpensive clothes. It was two days before Eid. He said he knew his mom would not be able to afford to buy what he really wanted, but he still hoped to find something decent.
“Two weeks ago, I came to this market to buy clothes for Eid, but everything was too expensive,” he explained. “So, I asked Mom to come just before the holiday, in the hope that the salesmen would sell their goods at cheaper prices.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t find anything that day. One shirt alone cost 60 shekels (about US$18) and a pair of pants costs the same or a bit more. Good shoes cost even more—120 shekels (US$35), so the total cost of an outfit would be about $70, which most Gazans can’t easily afford.
Maher Tabba`, an economic analyst in Gaza, says that more than 255,000 residents are jobless, many of whom are university graduates.
“The level of food insecurity has risen to more than 72 percent,” he adds.
Ahmed Baraka, a clothing merchant in the same market, sat in a chair, looking bored and furious. His shop, stocked with shirts and trousers, was empty of customers.
“What do you want me to say? These goods are borrowed from another merchant, and I will sell them at lower prices so I can pay him back, which means I will be broke,” he said.
Baraka and other merchants are very pessimistic this Eid.
“Today I didn’t sell what I expected to sell. Eid is the day after tomorrow; in previous years, my shop was never empty during this time of year,” Baraka added.
Othman Abu Rokba, 45 and a father of seven, said he came to the market with his kids only to look at the clothes in the stores, a tradition for him. He creates the feeling for his kids that they are shopping for new clothes, then “sneaks” to another market for second-hand clothes.
“My kids need new clothes but I can’t afford them, since I’ve been jobless since 2007,” Abu Rokba said. “At the same time, I don’t want them to feel different from other kids who have new Eid clothes. So, I take them to Firas Market, which sells used Israeli-imported clothes.”
Firas Market, located in central Gaza City, is full of shops with second-hand clothes imported from Israel. They are cheap and a lot of them are international brands. How does he feel about buying clothes supplied by his occupier?
“For 50 shekels (US$15), I can buy clothes for my seven children, which is way more affordable than buying new ones,” he shrugged.
The electricity shortage in the Gaza Strip pervades every aspect of life for the 2 million residents—the food we are able to eat, the medical care we can receive, our ability to keep up with school, the extent to which we can stay connected to the outside world. And relief doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon, so the next generation in Gaza is setting out to find immediate solutions. Some have turned to solar power, but four newly graduated engineers think harnessing the sea could fill a big part of the gap.
The 26-year-old inventors are Haitham Mushtaha and Mahmoud Murad, from the Islamic University of Gaza’s mechanical engineering department, and Sani Subaih and Mahmoud Abu Zayed, electrical engineering. Each of them found their way to IUG’s engineering school because of their knack for taking things—and problems—apart so they could discover how to fix them. And, of course, all Gazan parents dream of their kids growing up to be engineers or doctors.
The young men found each other during their senior year of university when they happened to be in the same structural engineering class. Each had a tendency to sit in the back row to escape the prying eyes of the teachers, and soon they started chatting during every break. When it came time to choose a graduation project, it seemed natural to join forces. Mushtaha suggested they focus on hydraulic power as one solution to the aspect of Gaza life that was the source of so many of their complaints: the constant search for electricity and a Wi-Fi connection.
“I have always wanted to try do something to help our situation here, so I said why we can’t we use our own sea, our greatest asset, to generate power?” recalls Murad.
The fruit of their collaboration is the Wave Energy Converter (WEC). This is how it works: A large buoy is anchored in the Mediterranean Sea, which is in turn connected to a mechanical device that converts the power of the waves into electrical energy that can be shared and distributed.
“The system absorbs the stored energy of waves and transforms it into hydraulic power,” explains Mushtaha. “A set of controls regulates the converter to protect against surges during storms and other causes of high waves that might overwhelm it.”
Recognizing the potential importance of the project, the Gaza government has secured land near the Gaza seaport for the necessary infrastructure, which otherwise would have been difficult to procure. However, more resources are needed to scale up to meet demand.
“Our financial resources are limited, so the WEC needs to be sponsored by other organizations,” says Sobeih.
Abu Zayed adds, “We also suffer from a lack of scientific and practical experience in the field of wave energy and related disciplines. And we don’t have some of the equipment necessary to improve the efficiency of the converter.”
Still, so far, the project is on track to produce 10-15 kilowatts of electricity, which the team projects will be enough to light the 1,800-meter wharf on the Gaza seaport.
“This project took a long time and great effort from the Engineering Department to develop, but it is vital,” says Nasser Farahat, head of IUG. “We hope we can see wave power plants in the Gaza Strip soon.”
The WEC is just one example of the successful projects that have emerged from the Islamic University of Gaza, which runs a Business and Technology Incubator(BTI). Another such project is Green Cake, an innovative construction material developed by fellow engineer Majd Mashhrawi, and a 3D printer developed by Mohammed Abu Matar.
“Since its formation in 2006, BTI has supported the implementation of 129 projects developed by Gaza youths so they can be applied on the ground both inside and outside of Palestine,” says Basil Qnadeel, head of BTI. “I am so happy that despite the bad economic situation here, we have young entrepreneurs who still dream.”
As Gaza’s Great Return March goes into its 11th week, the massive protest along the border with Israel has become a source of much-needed business for a variety of types of people. For example, hundreds of foreign journalists have flooded the Strip and most need fixers, videographers, photographers or producers to help them complete their coverage. That’s how I became fixer for a day, a new challenge for me.
I received a call from a friend, asking me to “fix” for a Turkish journalist. My father begged me not to go due to the danger of the protest; already, 120 demonstrators have been killed and more than 13,000 wounded. But I decided to take the assignment.
I accompanied the Turkish journalist to the march the next Friday. As we approached, we could see thousands of protesters, obscured by huge clouds of dark smoke from tires burnt to hide them from the view of Israeli snipers. What grabbed my attention, because I wasn’t expecting to see it, were the large number of vendors selling whatever the protesters needed—toys, cigarettes, chocolates, ice cream and even cheap sandals and slippers.
The number of people seeking to earn some income by selling on the streets and now at the protest has soared in the wake of the Palestinian Authority’s decision to slash the salaries of its 40,000 Gaza employees by 50 percent. Likewise, the ripple effect from the cuts has caused the unemployment rate to jump to 80 percent—forcing even more to sell whatever they can wherever they can. They are found on Gaza’s beaches, in the main markets during special occasions like Ramadan and now on the border with Israel during the protests.
While the Turkish journalist talked to a protester in English, I chatted with a few of those vendors.
Mohammed Ettwan, 29, pushed a small, wooden cart carrying a small freezer full of colorful ice cream sundaes. Mohammed, surrounded by three kids waiting to buy, was sweated profusely under in the intense heat despite his hat.
“I come here daily with this small cart I made to sell what I can to all of the kids I find here,” Mohammed told me after the children ran away. “I graduated from university in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in history and tried to get a job, but I couldn’t. I begged a lot of people to let me work with them, but no one could hire any employees, so I made this cart and started taking it to the beach, weddings, parties, schools and now the border.”
He is very aware, however, of the danger. On May 26, Hussain Abu Oweida, 41, was shot last month by Israeli snipers while selling his own supply of ice cream and other frozen treats hundreds of meters away from the border. He was shot in the spine and died a few days later.
“Every day I come here I believe I might not come back home safe since I see people shot beside me and around me,” said Mohammed.
Another vendor, Hamdan, didn’t want me to publish his last name but was willing to talk about his efforts to sell cigarette packets. His forehead was deeply tanned and sweating from the sun and the flames of the tires set afire to obscure the vision of the Israeli snipers. He said he arrives at the border before iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan (around 8 p.m.) and stays until midnight to sell his cigarettes.
“I am 34 and I have achieved nothing so far! I couldn’t pay for university, I can’t find a job and I can’t afford to marry. To try to overcome these conditions, I started selling cigarettes on Gaza’s streets and the borders,” he said, wiping his brow. Hamdan earns only 15 shekels a day (about $4 US) and must help support eight siblings. His only other income is a small welfare payment every three months.
Reporting that at least 53 percent of Gaza families live under poverty line, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics stated that the average wage in the Strip is just 1,680 shekels ($416) a month for full-time jobs—insufficient to pay daily expenses for families that typically number five to six.
Shaker, another vendor who had taken a break that day, came forward to tell his story.
“I used to come here before Ramadan, selling a lot of things for kids like toys and sandals. But that didn’t last for long,” he said. “A week ago, I was selling closer to the border and Israeli soldiers threw tear gas canisters at me and the protesters around me. I was injured and now I can’t stand that long.”
If the Israeli violence keeps up, Shaker, Hamdan, Mohammed and the others will have to give up on this new source of income. And then what?
Want to know what it means to be a Palestinian journalist, student, vendor, child or paramedic stuck in Gaza?
Look at the Press vests of photojournalists, Yasser Murtaja and Ahmed Hussain, which were full of their blood. Look at their cameras, the helmets and the tripod thrown on the grass covered with burnt tires’ black dust. Yasser Murtaja’s dream was to travel outside Gaza and get into a plane since he never saw a real plane by his eyes. Ahmed’s dream on the other hand was to travel to Jerusalem to take photos for its holy places, since it’s almost impossible for Palestinians of Gaza to travel to this holy city. Ahmed however achieved his dream and travelled to Jerusalem, but he traveled to get treatment in one of its hospitals and came back to Gaza dead of his wounds.
Look at the bicycle of vendor Hussain Abu-Oweda, who was shot killed while using it to sell ice cream on borders. Look at his blue small freezer with melted ice cream spilt out of it. He always went to crowds to sell his sundae so he could go back home with food for his kids.
Look at the cheap toys of the eight-months-old child, Leyla Ghandour, who was killed after sniffing tear gas. Look at her cradle that she left empty forever. Look at her parents and their tears after they lost their joy in life.
Look at the paintings on Gaza beach of artist Mohammed Abu Amro, whose aim was only to see Gaza unbeseiged. His paint brushes and rollers are kept in his drawers and cupboard with dust on them. Unlike others, Mohammed delivers his messages through art, but a bullet drilled his body and his art.
Look at the books of Bilal Al-Ashram, who was killed few days before starting his final exams. He, along with other students, was dreaming to become an educated pillar for Palestine. Bilal’s teacher said his marks were the highest in his class.
Look at the 15-year-old child, Mohammed Ayoub, who was shot killed while protesting peacefully on Gaza borders. He had a heart with two letters drawn with his school pen on his trousers that reveals his untold love story. He had a lover that he planned to marry when he gets older, but he will get older in heaven.
Today, Look at the medial uniform of the 21-year-old volunteer paramedic, Razzan Najjar, who was killed yesterday while giving first aid to injuries.
Now you know what it means to be a Palestinian living in Gaza…
A Scream From Heaven is my new poem describing the situation of the people of Gaza, and their wish to have peace and freedom like the rest of the world.
After meeting with Egyptian President and Jordanian King, US Kushner met today with the Israeli Prime Minister discussing President Trump’s ‘Century Deal’ or ‘Peace Deal’. After then end of the three-hour long meeting, the Israeli Haaretz daily reported on Friday that the plan is due to be proposed by the US administratoin, and will reportedly include offering Abu Dis town (East of Jerusalem) to become the capital of a future shrunk Palestinian state instead of Jerusalem, in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Arafat 