Reference :
V-P-IL-E-03002
Date :
19/04/2017
Caption :
Northern Gaza, Bet Lahia. The manager of this grocery store was injured in the fights and his leg had to be amputated. He benefited from an ICRC microeconomics programme to open this store.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
This 58 years old man has 14 children and lives in Bet Lahia. From the age of 15 until the start of the Second Intifada in 2000, he worked in Israel as a daily laborer. After 2005, as he was no longer able to work in Israel, he began working as a farmer, growing a variety of vegetables to feed his large family.
During the conflict in 2014, he and his family decided to seek protection at one of the schools being used as a shelter. When a truce was announced, Nabil rushed back to his house to inspect it. No sooner had he arrived, when fresh fighting erupted. As he tried to run away, he was injured. His leg had to be amputated and he suffered a wound to his hand. He could not travel to Jordan to receive medical treatment because he was denied a permit, but he was able to travel to Egypt, where he underwent several operations including restorative plastic surgery. When he returned to the Gaza Strip, he went to the artificial limb and polio center which is supported by the ICRC. There he learned about an ICRC program that supports small livelihood projects.
He says: “I thought the ICRC was an organization that only dealt with prisoners and detainees. After the ICRC helped me open this grocery store, I realized that it also works in many other fields.”
Nabil complains about the overall economic situation in Gaza, which he describes as very bad; four of his children are now grown-up but none of them is able to work, because of the scarcity of jobs in Gaza.
He spends most of his time in the store, where he gets occasional help from his sons and daughters-in-law. The poor economic situation means it’s impossible to make any profit. He reminisces about the good old days when he was a productive and capable worker, who brought in a good income for his family.
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
4988x3325
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
