More than seven months after a fragile ceasefire paused the deadliest fighting, a resilient community of tech freelancers in Gaza is keeping the enclave’s digital economy alive — coding, designing and building for clients abroad despite bombed-out infrastructure, chronic power outages and banking restrictions that make getting paid an obstacle course.
On weekdays, Tarik Zaeem, 44, walks through the shattered streets of Gaza City to a coworking space where freelancers can charge devices and connect to stable internet. There, he sinks into his laptop, debugging code for a Saudi valet parking app — a routine that, he says, shuts out the chaos.
“When I work, I forget everything and focus on the coding. I stop thinking about my family’s basic needs,” said Zaeem, whose wife and three children fled to Egypt early in the war. “I stop thinking about airstrikes or searching for drinking water. When I’m on my laptop, I shut everything else out.”
Zaeem is part of a generation of Palestinian freelancers who turned to remote work more than a decade ago as traditional economic sectors collapsed under Israel’s blockade after Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007. High unemployment and widespread internet access — more than nine out of ten households had connectivity before the war — pushed thousands of digitally skilled college graduates onto platforms like Freelancer.com, Upwork and Mostaql, where they could earn income from abroad.
Foreign donors and NGOs invested in hackathons, incubators and coding academies. Mercy Corps’ Gaza Sky Geeks operated bustling coworking spaces, and Rand Safi, its senior program manager, said interest in remote work exploded once it became clear that freelancers from Gaza could compete globally.
Most of that infrastructure was destroyed by the war that began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, in which militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted 251, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s retaliatory offensive killed over 72,700 people, local officials said, and displaced most of Gaza’s 2 million residents — often multiple times. Electricity and internet outages were widespread, and more than 75% of the telecommunications network was damaged. Gaza Sky Geeks said two of its three locations were leveled in airstrikes, and entrepreneurs, participants and instructors were killed or lost contact.
But a nascent revival is underway. Gaza Sky Geeks now supports five independent coworking spaces, and software engineer Sharif Naim founded Taqat Gaza, a space powered by solar generators that gives remote workers full-day internet access and networking opportunities. It already caters to more than 500 freelancers.
“The focus now is creating a proper work environment, training and helping freelancers rebuild skills lost during the war so they can compete in the global market again,” Naim said.
Part of that effort targets women, many of whom became breadwinners or needed to seek additional income. Reem Alkhateeb, a mother and graphic designer, tries to squeeze online work between hours-long waits for food and water. Her husband lost his job, turning her freelancing from supplemental income into the family’s financial lifeline.
“Our dreams are no longer about luxury or big ambitions. We dream about the simplest things that should already be basic human rights: having electricity, having internet access, being able to live and work normally,” she said.
Even after finding work, freelancers face steep obstacles getting paid. Banks are often inaccessible, and services like PayPal are unavailable to people with Palestinian addresses. Some route payments through relatives abroad; others rely on cash brokers who accept electronic transfers for steep fees.
After her husband and daughter were killed in 2024, Salsabil Bardawi founded Gaza Talents, a platform that connects freelancers with international clients and helps them navigate the payment maze. Partnering with the Bank of Palestine and the digital wallet PalPay, the initiative has already facilitated more than $600,000 in income for workers.
“A lot of people can work; all they need is a laptop, internet, electricity and clients,” Bardawi said. “They want a piece of their past — and an income that isn’t humanitarian aid.”