Struggles multiply for Palestine’s startup ecosystem

Struggles multiply for Palestine’s startup ecosystem

Since escalations unfolded in Palestine this month, Gaza-based tech hub and accelerator Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG), has been closely monitoring the impact that the recent bombardments have had on the tech and business landscape.

Work Without Borders, Kuhail Building, Tashkeel 3D, Hanadi Tower, Ghazi Alshawwa Building, Capital Mall, Al Jamal Building, are among business hubs that were recently bombed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Located at the heart of the city, these buildings used to host several freelance companies, startups, as well as ICT companies.

“[There are] at least five to six ICT companies that have been destroyed, each of them has 30 plus employees,” according to GSC. “This is totally unprecedented to us; the electricity is badly damaged. The city’s infrastructure needs to be rebuilt,” says Ryan Sturgill, director of GSG.

The deteriorating situation in Gaza will likely exacerbate the already terrible unemployment situation. According to Nour ElKhouly, community engagement coordinator at GSC, the city’s unemployment rate reached 43-46 per cent in the last quarter of 2020. “The employment situation was already terrible and it is just getting worse.”

Gazans have been struggling under a full siege since 2007, as a result, a lot of them have shifted