- Published
"I was just in a trough, drowning in uncertainty," says Walaa Volidis, a Palestinian software engineer.
asserted
Volidis → drown → uncertainty
"But deep inside, I made a decision: it will not be the end, no matter how hard it gets.
asserted
it → make → decision
I'll keep fighting for my dreams."
asserted
I → keep → dreams
Wearing a headset and glued to her laptop, Walaa discusses AI on a video call with her mentor in California's Silicon Valley.
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Walaa → wear → Valley
The 24-year-old wants to keep her skills up to date.
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old → want → date
But that is the least of her daily challenges as she lives in a tent in central Gaza supporting her displaced parents and four younger siblings.
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she → live → parents
"When the war started, I lost everything: my job, my university, even some of my family members.
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I → start → members
My sisters were injured," Walaa tells me from a co-working space in Deir al-Balah.
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Walaa → injure → Balah
She says her mental health was "totally destroyed", but she prioritised finding work.
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she → say → work
Walaa is one of thousands of young Gazans now pursuing roles in the digital economy.
asserted
Walaa → pursue → economy
"It's a kind of momentum," she says.
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she → say → momentum
"I have my main goal every single day to go to work, to finish my tasks.
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I → have → tasks
If you stop or cry about your situation, you will not do anything."
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you → stop → anything
Amid the rubble of Gaza, the majority of the two million population is reliant on humanitarian aid to survive and there are few ways for people to earn a decent salary.
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people → survive → salary
The UN says the unemployment rate has passed 80%, compared to 22% before the war.
asserted
rate → say → war
Humanitarian groups see online work - particularly freelancing for clients abroad - as offering some of the best opportunities.
asserted
groups → see → 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," says Nicole Hark, from the US humanitarian organisation, Mercy Corps.
asserted
Hark → talk → organisation
"It's really critical to help people go back to work.
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people → help → work
They don't want to be dependent on aid."
asserted
They → want → aid
Before the latest devastating war, triggered by the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023, Gaza had a burgeoning tech sector.
asserted
Gaza → trigger → sector
Israel and Egypt kept the Hamas-run territory under blockade, citing security reasons.
asserted
Israel → keep → reasons
Coding, designing and programming remotely were a way for young graduates to overcome tight border restrictions.
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graduates → cod → restrictions
Gaza Sky Geeks was founded in 2012 by Google and Mercy Corps.
asserted
Geeks → found → Google
The initial idea was to promote tech start-ups, but its three bustling hubs also ran coding courses and gave advice on accessing international markets.
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hubs → promote → markets
Two were destroyed during the war.
asserted
Two → destroy → war
Mercy Corps now supports some of the new co-working spaces which have popped up across Gaza using generators and solar panels to offer better internet connections and a more stable power supply.
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which → support → connections
Gaza's power system has suffered near-total collapse and approximately 75% of its telecommunications networks have been damaged or destroyed.
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% → suffer → networks
"I am starting from scratch, from zero, to start a new career," says Tarik Zaeem, speaking to me from a co-working space in Gaza City.
asserted
Zaeem → start → City
"When I work on my laptop, I forget everything.
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I → work → everything
I forget what's happened," Tarik says.
asserted
Tarik → forget → ?
He has recently developed a mobile app to make bookings for a barber's shop and a valet parking app for a Saudi client.
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He → develop → client
Most of Tarik's income goes to support his wife and three children, who are now living in neighbouring Egypt - as he used his savings to buy their exit early in the war.
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he → go → war
But getting paid remains a challenge.
asserted
paid → pay → ?
Few bank branches have reopened in Gaza and there are severe shortages of cash.
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branches → reopen → cash
Palestinians face many international banking restrictions and those in Gaza cannot register with most digital payment platforms.
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those → face → platforms
Some manage to route their money through relatives abroad.
asserted
Some → manage → relatives
But others rely on brokers in Gaza who charge high fees to convert electronic transfers into cash.
asserted
who → rely → cash
Tarik says these have often left him with only half his original payment.
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these → say → payment
"It's not enough for a good living," he adds.
asserted
he → add → living
Despite last year's US-brokered ceasefire, and the recent deal between President Donald Trump's Board of Peace and Hamas to advance his peace plan, Israeli bombardments in Gaza have continued on a near-daily basis.
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bombardments → broker → basis
…and 92 more, not listed.
The Aporia
