Category Archives: Uncategorized

Same storm, different boats

Posted on December 23, 2020

Dear friends, I am writing to wish those celebrating happy holidays and hopefully a happier New Year to us all. I recently saw something online that said: We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same … Continue reading →

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“Holidays are sad days”

Posted on December 16, 2020

Huda Wahidi, 46, is a Palestinian who was born in Israel. Twenty-six years ago, she married her husband, a resident of Gaza, and moved to the Strip to live with him. Wahidi has had difficulties maintaining continuous contact with her … Continue reading →

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Israel’s Disproportionate and Cynical ‘Coronavirus Lockdown’ on Gaza

Posted on August 20, 2020

In effect, this is a sweeping, disproportionate and cynical decision because it’s exploiting a plethora of circumstances to exacerbate a long-term policy that has branded Gaza a tainted territory, a penal colony, an isolated enclave. Continue reading →

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Marking another holiday in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic

Posted on July 28, 2020

At first glance, it might seem like the coronavirus pandemic spared the Gaza Strip. With just 76 verified cases, one death, and no documented community spread, the Gaza Strip indeed might be considered lucky. It might even seem like the closure, enforced by Israel and Egypt, which normally strangles the population, has for once been advantageous. Schools stayed shuttered after closing in March like much of the rest of the world, but the beaches and restaurants are now open, and families and others can gather for the holiday. Continue reading →

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Ramadan in the days of social distancing

Posted on April 26, 2020

Every year, about ten days before the holy month of Ramadan commences, the entrance and front windows of the Istanbul Café in Gaza, situated along the beach promenade, are adorned with festive decorations. This year, two days before the month … Continue reading →

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Gaza teaches us about isolation

Posted on April 8, 2020

Over the coming days and weeks, Jews, Christians and Muslims will be marking Passover, Easter and Ramadan respectively. Holidays that are traditionally celebrated over elaborate meals with several generations around the table, will be marked in social isolation as the … Continue reading →

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“Only women will solve this”

Posted on March 8, 2020

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day. At Gisha, we have the privilege of being in contact with women living in the Gaza Strip – from high-tech entrepreneurs to business owners, mothers, farmers and herders, and civil society activists. Over … Continue reading →

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Gisha’s statement on the Middle East Peace Plan

Posted on February 20, 2020

The “peace plan” presented in Washington D.C. aims to make permanent a reality of fragmentation, isolation and division in the occupied Palestinian territory. Further entrenching the dispossession of Palestinians and perpetuating the occupation are a recipe for ongoing conflict, not … Continue reading →

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From Gaza with Lulav, part 2

Posted on October 7, 2019

Ahead of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, several Israeli media outlets reported that tens of thousands of lulav holders (made of palm leaves and used in Jewish liturgy) produced in Gaza were cleared for exit from the Strip via Kerem … Continue reading →

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Entrepreneurship under closure

Posted on February 20, 2019

Hanan Khashan, 29, works as a digital marketing consultant in the Gaza Strip. Hanan graduated university with a degree in computer science, and worked in the ICT sector for two years before switching to digital marketing, which is a field … Continue reading →

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