In the heart of Gaza City's overcrowded displacement camps, extraordinary stories of resilience emerge from women who refuse to surrender to the devastation left by the Israeli aggression. Inside humble tents lacking the most basic necessities of life, these women are trying to piece their lives back together and relaunch small projects that once were pillars of their household economies. These individual efforts come amidst a complete absence of tools and capital, making the creation of hope a daily battle against nothingness.
This suffering is embodied in the story of Israa Abu Al-Qumsan, who insists on resuming her profession despite losing her project twice consecutively during years of conflict. Israa began her professional journey in 2012, but occupation aircraft targeted her workshop in 2014, forcing her to work from home for many years. By 2020, she succeeded in opening a new shop, but the war machine destroyed it again at the beginning of the current escalation in 2023.
Israa says from inside her tent that returning to work is no longer just a desire for success, but has become an urgent necessity for survival and providing a livelihood for her family. She emphasizes that the humanitarian aid reaching the displaced is irregular and insufficient to meet basic needs, making the revival of her own project the only available option. Despite the cramped space and lack of resources, she continues to work with the simple tools she managed to salvage.
Israa is not alone in this field; Mrs. Jihan shares the same determination after witnessing her store, which supported her family, turn to ashes. Jihan's store was completely burned and destroyed, forcing her to return to square one in a very complex environment. Jihan described losing her project as losing financial and social security, but she refuses to succumb to despair and struggles daily to restore a part of her former activity.
These women face enormous logistical challenges, most notably the continuous closure of crossings, which prevents the arrival of raw materials necessary for manufacturing or production. This suffocating blockade has led to an insane rise in the prices of available materials in local markets, if any, posing additional obstacles to the sustainability of these nascent projects. Nevertheless, women try to innovate local alternatives and use recycled materials to keep the work going.
Field sources reported that the scene inside the displacement tents reflects a Palestinian determination to restore the details of daily life that the occupation tried to erase. Between one tent and another, small professions emerge, ranging from sewing and embroidery to making simple foods, all managed by women who have lost their homes and businesses. These initiatives are not only aimed at financial gain but also represent a means of psychological relief and resistance to the psychological and social repercussions of war.
Jihan and Israa's stories are but miniature examples of thousands of women in the Gaza Strip who are fighting similar battles away from the spotlight. These women prove that will can overcome the rubble of buildings, and that necessity is the primary driver of innovation in the most difficult circumstances. Although the future remains unknown amidst the ongoing war, their steady steps towards work offer a glimmer of hope to an exhausted society.
In conclusion, the question remains about the ability of these micro-projects to withstand the war machine and harsh economic conditions. What the women of Gaza are building today in their tents is a message of resilience and defiance, confirming that life in Gaza is snatched from the jaws of death and destruction. There remains an urgent need for international and humanitarian interventions to support these women's initiatives to ensure their sustainability and protect women from the scourges of poverty and destitution.
Reliance on aid is no longer a sufficient option, and my project was and still is my only source of livelihood, and continuing it is a necessity, not an option.
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Will from Amidst the Rubble: Displaced Women in Gaza Revive Their Destroyed Projects