Displaced 10 times during the 16-month conflict in Gaza, the 23-year-old opened his first establishment in Rafah, the southernmost city in the territory, early this year, after sourcing old equipment and sending his father to the border with Egypt to buy meat.
‘We make the most of every minute’: relief and resolve at Gaza’s few reopened restaurants Palestinians find moment of respite in going out to dinner or relaxing in cafes as devastated territory seeks to rebuild.
“Sometimes, I had to walk long distances to fetch water, and at times, I would search in areas like Deir al-Balah and Rafah and buy the necessary equipment at any cost, and it was hard to find skilled chefs and quality spices, but I did not give up,” he said.
Yet many in Gaza say they are determined to rebuild, posting videos on social media of efforts to clear their homes of rubble, or pizza vans working their way through the ruins.
Planners now hope such initiatives will help drive reconstruction efforts – if the ceasefire holds and Donald Trump revises his plan for the US to “own” the territory, displace its population of more than 2 million and transform it from a “demolition site” into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
