Before the war, Tariq was a specialist medical analyst and owned a laboratory. Now he repairs worn-out bank notes. Photo: Khaled Al-Qershali

The lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed in so many ways, not least of all by the eradication of their livelihoods. Many have been displaced numerous times and are not able to work in their usual trades due to a lack of equipment, electricity, and other necessities. Here are three examples of Palestinians in Gaza who have found ways to work in their struggle to survive the Israeli genocide.

Ahmed

On the first day of the ceasefire in November 2024, 22-year-old Ahmed*, who is unmarried and lives with his parents and brother, escaped the famine in the north and started the journey of displacement with his family. They were initially displaced to Nuseirat in central Gaza, then to Khan Younis further south, then all the way south to Rafah, and then again back to central Gaza, to Al-Zawaida.

Ahmed, who repaired motors before the war, has been working as a slipper (slip-on shoe) tailor to continue supporting his family. He lives in a tent at the entrance of Al-Zawaida but he goes to work a kilometer away in Deir Al-Balah where there is a larger population. His walk to work takes him an hour.

Ahmed’s father and grandfather were tailors, and they taught him to sew as a hobby. He never imagined that his hobby would one day support his family, but when he saw others working as slipper tailors he knew he could do this, too.

Before the war, people rarely sewed or repaired their slippers because it was not expensive to buy new ones. But when Israel stopped goods from entering the Gaza Strip, the price of a pair of slippers increased ten-fold, from the pre-war price of $3 to $30. Ahmed saw both the problem and the opportunity, and decided to employ his sewing skills.

His goal is to help his family and improve their situation, but even with this extra income his family is unable to afford the basics for a decent life. Ahmed toils in the sun for more than 12 hours only to make between 20 and 30 ILS, equivalent to $8.

Like most Palestinians, Ahmed’s house was completely destroyed by the Israeli army. Even with a ceasefire he is unable to return home or resume his previous work. “Repairing motors is impossible because there is no equipment, no suitable place to work, and no consistent electricity,” he says.

Tariq

Tariq Muhammad Hussein Al-Kafarna, 42, is a married father of six children. He and his family were displaced from Beit Hanoun, in the north of Gaza, in the early days of the war. He made an early escape in the hope of easing the suffering of his 15-year-old disabled daughter. They took shelter in Rafah for five months until the city was evacuated when he and his family moved into a tent in Deir Al-Balah. His daughter was killed.

Before the war, Tariq was the owner of the Beit Hanoun Medical Laboratory, where he worked as a specialist medical analyst.

He now repairs worn-out bank notes. No new banknotes have entered Gaza during the war so many are torn or threadbare. Tariq glues the notes together to prevent them from tearing again and sells them as usable currency.

Tariq is unable to do the work he is trained for because all types of medical equipment are prevented from entering Gaza and the current laboratories cannot provide patients with proper services. Devices, if available, require electricity, of which there is very little. Materials such as chemical reagents and blood and serum samples require refrigeration to preserve them. Israel has held such materials without refrigeration for more than a month in the heat, rendering them useless when they are finally allowed in. Added to these problems is the fact that there are few laboratories in the south, so it would be difficult for Tariq to find a job as a displaced person.

He had a driver’s license and considered working as a driver, but there were no cars or fuel. Another idea was to trade canned food, but with the prices so high he didn’t want to exploit people.

The idea for his new line of work came accidentally. One day he went to withdraw money from the bank, but one of the notes was torn. He repaired it and while doing so, he realized that this was a major problem for many people in Gaza. Legally, torn banknotes should be returned to the bank to be reprinted, but this has not been possible since the Israeli occupation and genocide.

With only glue, scissors, erasers, and adhesive tape, Tariq repairs the currency without affecting the print on the paper. Photo: Khaled Al-Qershali

Tariq’s tools are simple: white glue, scissors, erasers, and adhesive tape. He must repair the currency without affecting the print on the paper. His work provides him with a little income. He hates charging people and so he provides the service for only a small fee: For each repaired banknote, he takes 2 ILS, around 50 cents. Tariq’s son works as a baker using a clay oven he made himself to further help the family.

“My children and I are educated, but we are forced to work like this,” Tariq says. “My daughter got a medical scholarship in Algeria and my son got a computer programming scholarship in Libya, but neither of them can travel because the Rafah crossing is closed.”

Tariq’s home is bombed, his workplace destroyed, and his children’s educational opportunities gone, but he does not despair. He knows this is the situation of everyone around him. “We are not just displaced people; we are also survivors,” he says.

Hazem

Hazem Abd Al-Kareem Areef, 49, is a married father of seven who worked as a tiler before the war. He is now unemployed. Hazem was displaced from Al-Shati camp in northwestern Gaza and fled with his family to Al-Zahra city in the beginning of the war. When the Israeli army targeted Al-Zahra Towers on October 19, Hazem sought shelter in a tent in Deir Al-Balah.

Hazem’s house was destroyed in the bombing. He and his six children are currently living in his sister’s house, which has also been damaged. His son, Mohammed, helps the family by working in a restaurant, though he had no previous experience cooking. With the ceasefire, Hazem tried to return to work as a tiler, but as tiles are currently non-existent in the Gaza Strip there are no jobs for him.

Now Hazem fixes charging cables. As electrical appliances are not allowed to enter Gaza, charging cables have become scarce and this has led to an increase in prices. Before the war, a charging cable would cost $5, but it now costs $35. People bring Hazem their broken cables and he fixes them. He refuses to take any money for the service. “I am doing this to help people and not for profit,” he says.

As the prices increased, Hazem has become well-known as someone who can not only repair cables but will do this without charging. Even when he has trouble providing the basics for his family, Hazem still refuses to charge his customers.

*Ahmed asked that his last name not be used, for reasons of personal security.