Name: Shaimaa Mohammad Shaker Al-Natour
Age: 32
Location: Al-Shati Camp, Gaza – currently displaced in Deir Al-Balah
Occupation: Tourism and hotel sector worker, archaeological guide

I am Shaimaa Mohammad Shaker Al-Natour, a 32-year-old woman from Gaza. Before the war, I lived with my family of five in Al-Shati Camp in a small and beautiful house that held all the details of our daily life. I graduated in History and Archaeology and worked in the tourism and hotel sector as an archaeological guide from 2014 until 2023. I was building my future and trying to create a stable life in my country. I am divorced and lived with my parents and family.

Suddenly, this painful war happened. I lost my work and the only source of income for me and my family disappeared. My father was working as a teacher at Dar Al-Arqam private school, but his work also stopped because of the war, and he did not even obtain his labor rights. Since then, our family has had no source of income except for very limited support from one of my brothers, who has a small street stall.

Our small beautiful home was destroyed, and we were displaced from Gaza City to Deir Al-Balah. We rented a small piece of land for 400 shekels monthly and pay another 100 shekels just to secure water. On that land, we built a tent to shelter us and shelter the dreams that disappeared in one moment.

Life is no longer comfortable. We no longer think about anything, except about the unknown future and how our lives have changed. My mother is sick and now needs specialized care, while all of us are struggling just to survive.

We are three sisters living in these conditions, trying to protect ourselves and preserve some privacy and safety in the middle of the unprecedented chaos of Gaza. Everything has to be very carefully calculated, because of the loss of income, fear, anxiety, tension, and the complete lack of security.

I tried to get on my feet again and start over. I created a small educational tent project with my sister in an attempt to build a new life and continue working, but people themselves are suffering financially and cannot even afford very small fees. My two brothers both hold university degrees in education, yet neither of them could find work anywhere.

My dream stopped, and the educational tent project also stopped and became meaningless under these conditions.

Before the war, I also had my own small income-generating project called “Asayel,” which focused on traditional wedding decorations, handmade baskets, pottery, and other Palestinian heritage items. At that time, the project cost me around 5,000 shekels and was my small dream that died immediately after it was born. The project was destroyed, and all its contents were stolen before we were displaced.

Our daily life today is extremely difficult, and we carry constant pain in our hearts. We need real support and solidarity that can restore at least part of our dignity and the sense of self we lost during this war, especially after losing even the luxury of privacy in our daily lives.

I am also a member of the Administrative Committee of the Tourism and Hotel Workers’ Union, a sector that included around 5,000 workers, among them approximately 600 women workers. Today, this entire sector has collapsed, because of the war and destruction, and all workers have been left to fend for themselves without humanitarian attention and support.

We need people to stand with male and female workers after official institutions and unions stopped playing their legal and moral role. Women especially need real support through small projects and opportunities to rebuild their lives.

Unemployment has spread in a terrifying way, and daily life has become extremely difficult. We can no longer secure even the simplest needs, because of the lack of gas, electricity, and the dependence on primitive means for everyday survival.