Editor Lucy Golish speaks with Youth for Palestine founder Ahmed Ihab Abuward about the humanitarian crisis, the unequal distribution of resources and the resilience that has emerged amid prolonged conflict in Gaza. Its residents face severe shortages of water, electricity, housing and healthcare while class, institutional connections and trust shape access to their aid. Abuward also reflects on the unexpected ways young Palestinians are adapting through innovation, education and community leadership, arguing that long-term recovery requires more than humanitarian relief.

Basic necessities remain out of reach

Golish begins by asking Abuward to describe daily life in Gaza. He explains that ordinary concerns have given way to a struggle for survival, with access to clean water, electricity and medical care remaining severely limited. While humanitarian aid continues to enter the territory, it falls far short of meeting the needs of the population, particularly newborns and patients requiring specialized treatment. Many serious medical conditions cannot be treated locally, while travel restrictions prevent patients from seeking care elsewhere.

As a medical student, Abuward paints a bleak picture of an overstretched healthcare system where shortages of medicine, equipment and personnel continue growing. The gap between medical needs and available resources keeps widening. As he puts it, “The percentage of [dead] people... is [getting higher and higher] every time, day by day, moment by moment.”

The crisis extends beyond hospitals. Golish notes that images from Gaza often focus on physical destruction, but Abuward emphasizes that the collapse of basic services affects every aspect of daily life, making even routine activities difficult.

Conflict reshapes family life and social priorities

Despite the ongoing war, Abuward describes an unexpected increase in marriages and births. He contends that this trend stems from the disappearance of many traditional life paths. With education disrupted, employment scarce and travel largely impossible, many young people see marriage as one of the few remaining ways to move forward with their lives.

This demographic shift has placed additional pressure on an already overwhelmed healthcare system. Maternity wards operate at full capacity while hospitals struggle with severe staffing shortages. Experienced doctors have left Gaza in large numbers, leaving nursing students and junior medical students to fill critical roles long before completing their training.

Golish asks how healthcare workers cope psychologically after years of continuous crisis. Abuward explains that many effectively live inside hospitals, eating and sleeping there because they expect new casualties to arrive at any moment. Although this life is exhausting, many have adapted because they feel they have no alternative.

Innovation and education become tools for resilience

Despite the hardship, creativity has emerged from necessity. Gazans routinely improvise practical solutions using whatever materials remain available. Makeshift drying machines built from wood, glass and plastic allow families to wash and dry clothes without electricity, while homemade games help children and young people maintain their mental well-being despite the absence of schools and recreational spaces.

Abuward says that prolonged disruption has encouraged experimentation and problem-solving. “The person who has free time is creating the creativity,” he comments, suggesting that necessity has become a catalyst for innovation.

This philosophy also shapes Youth for Palestine, the nonprofit organization he founded. The organization provides informal education in practical skills such as curriculum vitae writing, leadership, analytical thinking and professional development. Rather than focusing solely on emergency relief, Abuward hopes to help students discover talents that conflict has interrupted rather than erased.

He explains that several graduates have gone on to become ambassadors for international organizations or launch their own projects. One student-led initiative developed a Short Message Service-based educational platform that allows students in conflict zones to access coursework and complete examinations without reliable Internet access. This illustrates how locally developed solutions could have broader international applications.

Trust, inequality and aid distribution

The conversation then turns to the uneven distribution of resources inside Gaza. Abuward argues that access to aid often depends on personal connections, employment with international organizations or financial resources established before the war. He describes what he sees as three broad social groups: a small minority with outside connections, those employed by non-governmental organizations and the much larger population struggling in camps with few resources.

Golish asks how these inequalities shape public attitudes. Abuward argues that many Palestinians have lost confidence in aid organizations because they believe assistance does not always reach those most in need. In his view, rebuilding trust has become as important as providing material support.

He therefore contends that transparency and accountability should accompany humanitarian assistance. Without confidence that organizations are acting honestly, vulnerable people become reluctant to share their needs or seek help, making relief efforts less effective.

Recovery requires opportunity as well as relief

Looking beyond immediate humanitarian needs, Abuward identifies temporary housing as one of Gaza’s most urgent unmet priorities. He argues that simple shelters made from wood or other inexpensive materials would offer protection from extreme weather while allowing families to remain in their communities during reconstruction.

Golish asks how international supporters can contribute effectively. Abuward cautions against donating indiscriminately through unverified fundraising campaigns, recommending instead that contributions should go to transparent, accountable organizations that clearly document how resources are used.

He concludes by calling Youth for Palestine an investment in Gaza’s future rather than only its present. The organization’s goal is to help cultivate what he calls a “leading generation” capable of rebuilding society when conditions eventually improve. His closing message broadens beyond Gaza itself: “Everyone in the world should have rights and everyone in the world [has]  a talent. We just need to think before [we] act.”

[Lee Thompson-Kolar edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article/video are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.