In Gaza, 52% of the youth are university graduates, but 69% of them cannot find job opportunities. The Coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the economic crisis with the overall unemployment rate increasing by 17 percent.
Ahmed Hammoudeh is a university graduate who works as a salesman, making $7 per day to meet his needs. He isn’t using his degree, but feels lucky that he is employed.
Many Palestinians lost their jobs due to the blockade, including Ahmed's father. However, Ahmed refused to give up his university studies and worked hard during the his time out of school to cover the costs of his university studies.
All youth in Gaza dream of a better reality and a prosperous future. Many, like Ahmad, hold onto their dreams by volunteering in the community or in fields related to their degrees.
Most of the young men and women in Gaza cannot see or visit other Palestinian territories due to the travel restrictions imposed as a part of the blockade. Ahmed dreams of visiting the West Bank and Majdal, the village his grandfather was expelled from in 1948.
