RismadarVoice Reporters
January 6, 2026
The Palestinian territory of Gaza is facing one of the fastest and most severe economic collapses on record, with the United Nations reporting that unemployment has reached 80 percent, among the highest in the world.
This comes after more than two years of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has left homes, hospitals, and schools destroyed.
Despite the suffocating blockade, Gazans are improvising small businesses and initiatives to survive. Widowed residents like Um Mohammed al-Jarjawi rely on skills such as knitting to support their families and even train others in the craft. Similarly, makeshift solar-powered phone-charging stations have emerged, providing limited income to households, though they cannot solve the broader power or economic crisis.
Gaza’s labour market has effectively collapsed, leaving young men and women with few opportunities for employment.
Many spend their days searching for temporary work or waiting for scarce job opportunities.
Informal ventures provide short-term survival but do not address the long-term economic instability or generate sustainable employment.
With 70 percent of electricity networks destroyed, daily life remains a struggle, forcing residents to depend on ingenuity and small-scale enterprises to meet basic needs.
The ongoing economic devastation underscores the urgency for humanitarian aid and long-term reconstruction efforts in the besieged territory.
