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

What the report says

BBC World News reports that, despite Gaza’s devastated economy and severe disruption to basic services, thousands of young Palestinians are trying to build careers in the digital sector. The article focuses on workers such as Walaa Volidis, a 24-year-old software engineer in central Gaza, who is living in a tent while supporting displaced family members and still pursuing online work and professional training. Another worker, Tarik Zaeem, has moved from a senior technology role before the war to freelance programming, while Mahran Bayed now creates apps, websites and adverts from a tent near the ruins of his home.

The report says the broader context remains dire: the UN has put Gaza’s unemployment rate above 80%, and aid agencies describe remote work as a possible “digital lifeline” for people who have few other ways to earn money. It also notes that new co-working spaces have emerged, often relying on generators, solar panels and patchy internet connections, after much of Gaza’s power and telecommunications infrastructure was badly damaged. Gaza Sky Geeks, a tech initiative backed by Google and Mercy Corps, is highlighted as part of the territory’s earlier tech ecosystem, though two of its hubs were destroyed during the war.

The article underlines that online work does not solve the territory’s deeper problems. Workers still face difficulty getting paid, cash shortages, banking restrictions and limits on importing computer parts. Even so, some tech workers say freelancing gives them income, purpose and a possible path to recovery, with Walaa recently securing a full-time job with a Dubai-based company.