'Digital lifeline' - Gaza tech workers give glimpse of possible future

**"Digital Lifeline" — Gaza Tech Workers Offer Glimpse of Potential Future**

Walaa Volidis, a Palestinian software engineer, supports her displaced parents and four younger siblings. "I was just in a trough, drowning in uncertainty," she recounts. "But deep inside, I made a decision: it will not be the end, no matter how hard it gets. I'll keep fighting for my dreams."

The 24-year-old, wearing a headset and focused on her laptop, engages in a video call about AI with her mentor in California's Silicon Valley, determined to maintain her skills. This, however, is a minor concern compared to her daily struggles, as she resides in a tent in central Gaza, providing for her displaced parents and four younger siblings.

"When the war started, I lost everything: my job, my university, even some of my family members. My sisters were injured," Walaa shares from a co-working space in Deir al-Balah. She describes her mental health as "totally destroyed" but prioritized securing employment.

Walaa is among thousands of young Gazans now pursuing careers in the digital economy. "It's a kind of momentum," she states. "I have my main goal every single day to go to work, to finish my tasks. If you stop or cry about your situation, you will not do anything."

**New Co-working Spaces Emerge Across Gaza**

Amidst the devastation in Gaza, the majority of the two million residents depend on humanitarian aid for survival, with limited avenues for earning a decent income. The UN reports that the unemployment rate has surged past 80%, a stark increase from 22% before the conflict. Humanitarian organizations view online work, particularly freelancing for international clients, as offering some of the most promising opportunities.

"We talk about it now as a sort of digital lifeline, this idea that if you have a laptop, if you have a working internet connection, you can work and have an income," explains Nicole Hark from the US humanitarian organization, Mercy Corps. "It's really critical to help people go back to work. They don't want to be dependent on aid."

Prior to the recent devastating war, ignited by the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023, Gaza boasted a burgeoning tech sector. Israel and Egypt maintained a blockade on the Hamas-governed territory, citing security concerns. Remote coding, designing, and programming offered young graduates a means to circumvent stringent border restrictions.

Gaza Sky Geeks, established in 2012 by Google and Mercy Corps, initially aimed to foster tech start-ups. Its three vibrant hubs also provided coding courses and guidance on accessing international markets. Two of these hubs were destroyed during the war.

Mercy Corps now supports some of the new co-working spaces that have emerged across Gaza, utilizing generators and solar panels to provide improved internet connectivity and a more stable power supply. Gaza's power infrastructure has experienced a near-total collapse, and approximately 75% of its telecommunications networks have been damaged or destroyed.

**Tarik Zaeem, an app developer, faces ongoing payment challenges.**

"I am starting from scratch, from zero, to start a new career," says Tarik Zaeem, speaking from a co-working space in Gaza City. Before the war, the 44-year-old served as the chief technology officer for a local company. He is now a freelance programmer.

"When I work on my laptop, I forget everything. I forget what's happened," Tarik shares. He recently developed a mobile app for barber shop bookings and a valet parking app for a Saudi client.

Most of Tarik's earnings support his wife and three children, who now reside in neighboring Egypt, as he used his savings to facilitate their departure early in the war.

However, receiving payment remains a significant hurdle. Few bank branches have reopened in Gaza, and there are severe cash shortages. Palestinians encounter numerous international banking restrictions, and those in Gaza cannot register with most digital payment platforms.

Some manage to route their funds through relatives abroad. Others, however, rely on brokers in Gaza who charge substantial fees to convert electronic transfers into cash. Tarik states that these fees have often left him with only half of his original payment. "It's not enough for a good living," he adds. "[Just] the basics."

Despite last year's US-brokered ceasefire and the recent agreement between President Donald Trump's Board of Peace and Hamas to advance his peace plan, Israeli bombardments in Gaza have persisted on a near-daily basis. Israel asserts it is targeting Palestinian armed groups.

According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN, at least 1,250 people, including 265 children, have been killed since October's truce.

Tarik recounts an air strike outside his co-working space in Gaza City in June, which resulted in the death of a Palestinian student taking her exams online in the street. Israel stated it was targeting a Hamas operative and attempted to prevent harm to civilians.

Given the inherent risks, another Gazan tech worker explains that he feels compelled to reassure prospective clients about his team's capacity to deliver on projects involving mobile apps, websites, and advertisements.

"Once we get a job for IT that needs like three to four months, we are trying to say to this customer: 'Please know that everything will be online, if we get killed, you will have your work,'" says Mahran Bayed.

**Co-working spaces utilize generators and solar panels to provide enhanced internet connections and a more stable power supply.**

Mahran lives in a tent with his wife and three young children near his destroyed home, close to the ruins of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The medical complex was repeatedly targeted during the war by Israel, which accused Hamas of using it as a command and control center – an accusation the armed group denied.

"I lost all my equipment, I lost my house, I lost my office," Mahran recalls. "I was thinking that this was the end of the world here in Gaza."

Now, Mahran finds both an escape and purpose in freelancing to create mobile apps, websites, and advertisements. "From Gaza, I can collaborate with teams in completely different [parts] of the world and contribute with people I've never met," he says. "That's one of the things I enjoy most about technology."

An additional challenge for Mahran is that his laptop screen was damaged during Israel's attacks, necessitating him to carry an external display.

While Gazan workshops strive to repair computers using spare parts from other damaged devices, their capabilities are limited.

The Israeli defense authority Cogat, which oversees Gaza's border crossings, classifies computers and computer parts as "dual use" items – meaning they can be used for both civilian and military purposes – and prohibits their import.

**Workshops diligently repair computers using spare parts from damaged devices.**

Despite the hardships, many Gazans working in IT emphasize their relatively good fortune.

Back in Deir al-Balah, Walaa has received assistance from the Palestinian-Dutch NGO, TAP, to connect with mentors, career coaches, and potential employers. She recently secured a full-time position with a Dubai-based firm.

Her current goals include improving daily life for her siblings and finding a way for her nearly 13-year-old sister to receive a medical evacuation from Gaza. Trauma injuries have left her sister with lymphoedema, a chronic condition causing severe swelling in her leg.

"My first hope, to help my family to get a good life, to help my sister to get out from Gaza to find a treatment," Walaa tells me. "Also, I'm working for myself to get a scholarship to travel."

While Gaza's broader recovery remains stalled, its tech workers offer a glimpse of a brighter, possible future.

*Additional reporting by Malak Hassouneh and John Murphy.*

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