NAGHAM KARAJEH

Gaza- The Gaza Strip has been in the grip of Israel’s devastating blockade and ongoing war since October 2023. The ongoing Israel’s blockade and war has affected all facets of life, including the banking system. The banking system has almost completely collapsed in the enclave because banks have been bombed, and power cuts shut down ATMs, causing a cash shortage. This reality has led to a stifling financial liquidity crisis in the enclave; Palestinians, who want to withdraw money from their accounts, have to pay excessive fees to cash traders, who take substantial cuts of 20% to 40% in exchange for bills.

Women suffer doubly

Duaa Musleh is one of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian women in Gaza. A mother of three daughters, Duaa Musleh lives in Gaza City, where Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid and war has become two swords suspended over the necks of Palestinians.

“I thought the worst thing that could happen to me was bombardment until I realized I would also be deprived of my money, and I wouldn't be able to touch it until half of it was taken by cash brokers,” she told NuJINHA.

Before the war, Duaa Musleh began to realize her dream of opening a beauty center in Gaza City. “Opening a beauty center was my dream to build a better future for myself and my family; however, the war also destroyed my dream.”

Duaa Musleh still dreams of opening a beauty center in the city.

“Starting my project from scratch is extremely difficult because raw materials are very expensive. Every step I take now costs much, not only financially but also psychologically. Despite everything, I cannot give up my dream. I hope to realize my dream by opening my beauty center.”

Duaa Musleh summed up the financial tragedy she endures every day by saying, “We have to pay half of what we own just to receive what we own.

I have lost all my savings because I have to pay fees to cash traders when I want to withdraw money from my account. If I want to withdraw $100 from my account, I only get $60, and the rest goes to them.”

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has destroyed 93% of bank branches in Gaza and only three out of 94 ATMs remain operational across Gaza, according to the Palestinian Monetary Authority.

Displacement

At the beginning of the war, Duaa Musleh fled from Gaza City to the southern Gaza Strip in search of finding a safe place for her three daughters. “We walked for days without knowing where to go. We had no food, no water, and no blankets. I felt like I was at the bottom of the world.”

Duaa Musleh saw a big snake creeping into the tent where her three daughters were sleeping. “It was night and I was getting ready to sleep when I saw it creeping into the tent. I didn’t scream, just looking for something to kill it. Then, I found something heavy and killed it in order to keep my daughters alive. Snakes were everywhere and I tried to kill them to keep my daughters safe.”

‘I resist despite everything’

Duaa Musleh had saved money for years to secure her daughters' future. “Now, everything is crazy expensive; you have to work all day long to buy a kilo of flour. We have to walk for hours to buy a bottle of drinking water.

We have no electricity, no money, no food, not even a space to cry. I resist for my daughters despite everything.”