“Livelihoods Buried Under the Rubble”… Gaza Women Lost Everything Except Their Will

The war did not only bring down Gaza’s homes; it also crushed small dreams that had been quietly growing inside them.
Women-led projects, built with patience and skill, suddenly turned into rubble, forcing their owners back to “square one” after years of struggle to secure a dignified livelihood.

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Before the outbreak of war, Gaza’s women were steadily expanding their presence in the labor market, entering new fields and establishing small home-based businesses. Some became the sole breadwinners for their families, relying on support from local and international organizations that believed in their ability to produce and persevere.

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With the war, everything changed. Development support came to a halt, replaced by emergency humanitarian aid. Projects disappeared, while need remained.

Suhair Ziad (39) was one of those women. For years, she barely knew a night without work, spending long hours preparing cakes for various occasions and receiving orders through her Instagram page, “Tala Cake.” Birthdays, graduations, and family celebrations all carried her personal touch.

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Her skill was not merely a talent, but the result of an economic empowerment project targeting women. Today, Suhair tries to speak without complaint, yet she says bitterly: “The war turned my life upside down. After spending nights preparing cakes, I can barely find flour to bake bread for my family.”

The shortage of ingredients and lack of resources forced her to stop— not just working, but providing a main source of income for her family.

In Al-Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza, Hajja Fatima (61) was a symbol of craftsmanship. Forty years of embroidery and making woolen hats and scarves turned her home into a well-known destination in the area. She needed no advertising; her name alone was enough.

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But the war left her with neither a home nor her handmade products. Her house was destroyed, and dozens of pieces she had spent sleepless nights creating were lost. Today, she lives in a tent near Yarmouk Stadium, alongside her siblings.

In a low voice, she says: “I feel like I’ve become a burden on them, even though they never complain. All my life, I depended on myself.”

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As she moved from one tent to another, and from shelters to schools, she never let go of her needle and thread. She repaired torn clothes, trying to mend what displacement had damaged— even without compensation.

Hiba Al-Aqqad (34), a mother of four from Khuza’a, had a different project. She owned a small beehive, cared for bees, sold honey, and helped her husband support the family. Four years of work and participation in women’s exhibitions brought her joy, especially when her honey jars sold out.

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After the invasion of Khan Younis, everything was destroyed. The project stopped, but the dream remained. She says she still hopes to return to this field one day, especially since she used to prepare therapeutic honey mixtures for many patients.

Shireen Hashem, a coordinator at the Small Enterprises Center (SEC), explains that before the war, the center supported various women-led projects, ranging from handicrafts to food production and traditional Palestinian sweets reflecting cultural identity.

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“These projects, despite their simplicity, were a real source of income for women and contributed fully or partially to supporting their families,” she says.

However, the war disrupted all of this, forcing institutions to redirect their focus toward emergency relief at the expense of economic empowerment.

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According to economic expert Ahmad Abu Qamar, women’s participation in the labor market before the war ranged between 27% and 30%, before sharply declining with the collapse of the market and unemployment rising to nearly 80%.

He stresses that no recovery or reconstruction plans can succeed without restoring the pivotal role of women in the economy.

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In Gaza, women’s projects were not merely a source of income, but a space for dignity and independence. Today, beneath the rubble, these projects— and their owners— await a new opportunity to begin again, even from zero.

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