The Gaza Strip is more or less divided into half controlled by Hamas and half controlled by the Israelis. How has this changed the lives of Gazans?
As for the half of the sector controlled by Israel, they don't let anyone in, and anyone who gets close to what they call the yellow line can be shot or killed. Thus, all Gazans live in territory controlled by Hamas, and this does not allow us to access, for example, our agricultural lands or garbage dumps. There are also cities on the other side, although they are largely destroyed. Factories and industrial areas are also on this side. There were also several sewage treatment plants. This is an important part of Gaza, which is so small. This does create a difficult situation.
Are you concerned that this border will become a long-term border and that Gaza and the people living in it will forever be stuck in the part of Gaza where they are now?
No. I think we have ceasefire agreement. We have Trump's planAnd we are confident or hope that Trump’s plan will work and President Trump will be able, if not to convince, then to force the Israelis to adhere to this plan and leave the Gaza Strip.
You say this is your hope?
This is the hope and we truly believe this is likely to happen.
Is there a reason why you hope for this more than I do?
[Laughs.] Because I want to believe it. This is our only hope. The situation cannot continue like this.
How would you characterize the attitude towards Hamas in the Gaza Strip now?
In what sense? They control everything in the Gaza Strip. They are trying to help the situation in the Gaza Strip. They keep us safe, and that's the most important thing. You can't leave things in a vacuum. If you leave New York in a vacuum, without security, without police, what happens? It's the same in Gaza. So we are very pleased that they are providing security in the Gaza Strip. For example, before the ceasefire was signed, there was massive theft of humanitarian aid, and these looters were supported. These were militias supported by Israel and protected by Israel. The main one was Abu Shabab group. They robbed trucks and then took refuge in Israeli-controlled areas. It stopped. This has stopped because the de facto government is preventing them from doing so.
I know that many famous businessmen, including you, decided to write letter Trump calling for an end to the war just before the ceasefire went into effect. Some of the people who signed the letter have sharply criticized Hamas elsewhere. Was there a division in the letter about how much to criticize?
Anyone in the Gaza Strip can criticize Hamas. This is fine. We have the freedom to talk about Hamas or anyone else. [Palestinians in Gaza, including journalists, have been physically assaulted for criticizing or reporting negatively on Hamas. Since the ceasefire went into effect, Hamas has also carried out executions of people whom it claims were political rivals or collaborators with Israel.] I mean, this is a personal opinion, so there's no problem with that. Is this your question? Perhaps I didn't understand your question.
Well, I know you've said that you think the Palestinian Authority will be better able to achieve the long-term solution and the two-state solution that you advocate.
Well, actually, this is our only hope. We want to unite with the West Bank, and the Palestinian Authority is the best scenario for this. We hope that we will have elections. What I mean is that the Palestinians deserve to make decisions and hold elections—they deserve to choose their representatives and have power exchanges.
Right, because the last elections in Gaza were a couple of decades ago, right?
Exactly. Yes.
Can you tell us a little about what your job involves?
I am the chairman of the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture. We are trying to help our members obtain documents to renew bank accounts or start a business both outside and inside Gaza. We're trying to help them organize local markets and coordinate or actually create networks for them with humanitarian organizations. And we conduct trainings. But there is little we can do due to Israeli restrictions. They don't even allow fuel supplies to the private sector. They are preventing the import of agricultural seeds such as tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., with the intention of leaving all people dependent on humanitarian aid and unproductive. So my job is really difficult because there is not much I can do, but we are trying to promote, for example, electronic payments, because all the banknotes in Gaza, the cash, are wearing out, and Israel does not allow us to replace those banknotes.
That's why we do a lot of propaganda work. We collect information about local markets and some economic indicators. We are preparing reports on this matter. We are keeping the international community and humanitarian organizations informed of the situation so that they can be informed when developing plans. We also run some really small projects to try to help people in the food manufacturing sector start or improve their businesses, but we take very limited action due to a lack of finance and production materials.
Many people in your position or in similar positions managed to leave Gaza during the war. You didn't do it. Can you tell us why you stayed?
Yes. When the war began, I was new to my position: I was elected at the beginning of 2023, and nine months later the war began. I felt I had an obligation to stay with the people who elected me in Gaza. I really like Gaza and I don't think I can stay out of Gaza for long. And what will I do on the street? As a Palestinian, it is very difficult to be somewhere outside. And I know that many people are in Egypt now, but they are in a difficult economic situation. I certainly didn't think it would last this long. But I’m very glad that I didn’t leave, because being outside of Gaza for such a long time is not an easy thing.
I know that the humanitarian situation is still not very good. I know people are still dying. I'm just curious what it's like in the Gaza Strip and whether people have become more optimistic or not in the last couple of months since the ceasefire.
