On May Day, workers in Gaza get everything they can get | Israel-Palestine War News

Gaza City, Gaza Strip Above the rubble of the destroyed building, Ibrahim Abu al-Eish is busy removing stones and the collapsed roof to make way for a bulldozer that will remove the remains of the building.

Ibrahim, 24, starts his day early in the morning and works until late at night, after working for a company that clears debris from damaged buildings. Israel’s war of destruction in Gaza.

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He began working in the field after the end of the war in October, when other local efforts began in Gaza – devastated by more than two years of war – to clear the debris, reopen the roads, and eliminate the dangers in the informal settlements.

Ibrahim is happy to have a job like Economic crisis in Gazabrought on by war, continues. But the accounting graduate says the job is very difficult, and dangerous.

“It’s a very tiring job. I never thought in my life that I could do a job like this,” Ibrahim told Al Jazeera, taking a few minutes to rest before continuing.

“I have been injured several times, and one time a friend of mine dropped the roof of the house and was seriously injured,” he added.

Despite this, Ibrahim finds himself forced to endure the hardships and dangers of his job because of the great responsibilities he carries.

He supports a family of nine, including his parents and siblings, who are living in difficult conditions in the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza.

“I earn no more than 80 shekels ($27) a day…

Conditions in Gaza have created a very difficult working environment for workers, many of whom have lost their jobs and businesses during the war and have turned to any opportunity that can be found, regardless of the low wages or the dangers.

“There is no safety in the workplace, but nothing comes easy these days,” Ibrahim said.

The darkest times

This year’s International Workers’ Day – celebrated on Friday, May 1 – comes as Gaza continues to experience a very difficult time, amid a war that has been ongoing since October 2023, leaving the economy and labor market struggling.

Hundreds of thousands of workers are finding themselves out of work, while those who do have less income to make ends meet.

In a statement released to coincide with International Workers’ Day, the Ministry of Labor in Gaza said unemployment in Gaza it had recently increased to 80 percent, and more than 250,000 workers in Gaza lost their jobs during the war.

Poverty has risen to more than 93 percent in Gaza, and more than 75 percent are experiencing severe food insecurity.

Restricting the work of humanitarian organizations has exacerbated the problem, especially since more than 95 percent of the population now depends on public assistance, including a large proportion of workers who have lost their income.

The Ministry warned that continued unemployment will increase economic stagnation, reduce the capacity to work, and destroy the chances of recovery unless the Israeli blockade of Gaza is lifted, the crossing is opened, and the productive sectors can resume work.

A difficult life

Yousef al-Rifi, 32, works at a makeshift bakery set up on a roadside in central Gaza City.

Before the war, Yousef had a small bakery with his father and brothers in the east of the city, but it was completely destroyed during the war, along with his family’s house.

Following this loss, Yousef spent two years without a source of income to support his wife and two children, until he recently started working at a roadside bakery.

“I work here at a bakery with a few employees… I used to know how to bake bread, but nothing compares to my work before the war,” Yousef told Al Jazeera.

He said that the impact of war was not limited to work and living conditions; he described it as giving away any hope he had for the future.

“I have been working here from 6 in the morning until evening and earning 50 shekels ($17) a day, sometimes less, in temporary tents because of the heat of the sun,” he said. “Business is not going well… there are days when bakeries do not work because of the fluctuating prices of flour and bread and their unavailability.”

What Yosef earns is not enough to pay for the needs of his children and his family, which forced him to borrow from his neighbors to meet his needs. Sometimes, they sell essential items to earn money.

“I sold my mobile phone and my wife’s phone to get food and drinks… what I earn is not enough for my children’s food,” he added.

Yousef, and many workers like him, have little hope that things will improve. But in the end, he had to do whatever job he could find, because of the lack of alternatives in Gaza.

He said: “A worker must work hard to earn a living. This is our reality … a life that is cruel, unforgiving, and full of blood.”