Jobless young Palestinians trapped as Israel holds Gaza’s economy hostage | Gaza

Mahmoud Shamiya walks to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea every day just to pass the time. He is among Gaza’s tens of thousands of young people who have no work as the economy collapsed during Israel’s devastating war.

Shamiya graduated from Al-Aqsa University with a degree in basic education three years ago, dreaming of becoming a teacher and a role model for children. Today, his daily routine consists of fetching water, scavenging for firewood and surviving in a tent.

“The occupation and this war came and destroyed all the landmarks of education in Gaza,” Shamiya said. “Today, we have become aimless, jobless, and hopeless. We live a deadly routine.”

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Israel destroyed most universities and schools in Gaza – home to 2.3 million people – and killed at least 72,000 Palestinians in military operations described as genocide by the UN and global scholars.

Shamiya’s despair reflects a broader generational catastrophe. Approximately 70 percent of Gaza’s residents are under 30 and they are navigating a reality that the United Nations describes as the fastest and most damaging economic collapse on record.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, unemployment in the Gaza Strip has increased to 80 percent. The local gross domestic product (GDP) has plunged by 87 percent over the past two years to a mere $362m, with GDP per capita down to $161.

Economists says that’s effectively erased 22 years of development, leaving the territory’s youth completely cut off from the outside world and denied the ability to study, work, or secure their basic survival.

Educational erasure

For students trapped inside the besieged enclave, the systematic destruction of Gaza’s educational infrastructure has effectively paused their lives.

Mona Al-Mashharawi finished high school in 2023, shortly before Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza. She had secured a place at the Houari Boumediene University in Algeria and was scheduled to travel in November 2023. However, the outbreak of the war in October that year and the subsequent closure of the borders by the Israeli military trapped her inside the Strip.

“Two years of my life have been lost, and I am now entering the third. These years are automatically vanishing from our lives,” Al-Mashharawi told Al Jazeera. “It is my right to complete my education. I should be in my third year of university, but today I am unfortunately still just a high school graduate.”

With travel impossible, Al-Mashharawi tried to find alternatives locally, only to face the physical reality of the devastation. “In my journey searching for universities, I found that the war destroyed all the universities in Gaza. There is no way for me to complete my studies,” she said.

Rafah Crossing, Gaza’s only gateway to the the outside world, was reopened partially in February. It only allows the exit of a limited number of Palestinians who need medical treatment abroad and entry of Palestinians who had evacuated their homes during the war. The other crossing, Karem Abu Salem, which passes through Israel is the sole passage to allow transport of goods, fuel and aid.

A decimated private sector

For those who had established businesses and careers, the war has erased years of hard work in an instant. The government in Gaza estimates that 90 percent of all sectors, including housing and infrastructure, have been wiped out, with total economic losses estimated to total $70bn.

Historically, the private sector was Gaza’s main economic engine, contributing to 52 percent of local employment. Today, that backbone has been shattered.

Muhannad Qasem, a champion bodybuilder and fitness coach, once owned a thriving gym in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, complete with sections for men, women, and people with special needs. During an Israeli ground incursion into Zeitoun, the building housing his business was levelled.

Qasem returned to the rubble and managed to salvage a mere 1 percent of his equipment.

“If you want to rent a new place, the prices are incredibly high and unaffordable,” Qasem explained. “Importing equipment is impossible. If bringing in food and drink is not allowed right now, how can we bring in gym equipment?”

Unable to reopen his business or source new materials, Qasem was forced to place his salvaged, damaged weights and machines on the street, offering them for sale just to feed his family. “This was a project that supported our entire family,” he added.

Vast swathes of the enclave is in ruins forcing people to take shelters in tent camps. Despite a “ceasefire” in place since last October, Palestinians are still at the mercy of Israel, which continues to occupy more than 50 percent of Gaza’s territory and imposes huge restrictions on the entry of goods.

The phantom of famine

The erasure of Gaza’s economy is compounded by a total blockade that has drained the territory of essential goods and raw materials. Approximately 80 percent of the population now relies entirely on international humanitarian assistance just to stay alive.

But aid entering the territory falls drastically short of the daily target of 2,000 tonnes, as only two crossings – Rafah and Karem Abu Salem – remain open and Israeli authorities heavily restrict deliveries.

With fresh produce and meats largely banned or unavailable, the Strip has been facing acute shortages of basic items, severely impacting the most vulnerable and effectively crippling any attempts at local production.

For the young people trapped within these sealed borders, the lack of basic sustenance mirrors the lack of opportunity.

As Shamiya stands by the sea, watching a horizon he cannot cross, the reality of a stolen future sets in.

“Our years have been stolen, and the knife of time is constantly stealing from us,” he said. “We are growing older without a goal.”