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In a corner of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's (UNRWA’s) training centre in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Bassam Qaffa uses large sheets of fabric to divide his makeshift barber shop from its overcrowded surroundings.
In the middle he places a metal chair, a small table and a number of basic tools to serve a queue of customers waiting to get groomed.
“This is a message to the displaced and the residents that life goes on in more than one way,” said Hassan Farrani, one of those in the queue, who has been displaced from Gaza city’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.
Displaced Palestinians are scrambling to earn money, while trying to adjust to their new reality.
A month of displacement has dried up Bassam's savings. He needed to find work urgently to provide for his wife and three children.
“My children were asking for food and clothes daily and I could not buy any because I didn’t have any money. After I start working again, I hope to provide their basic needs so that they don’t go hungry or cold,” he said.
Many have lost their homes, belongings and businesses because of Israeli shelling of their hometowns.
Bassam is one of about 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Gaza, of whom an estimated 214,000 have fled Israel's aerial attacks in northern Gaza Strip for Khan Younis in the south.
“I was hoping the war would not last long and I could return to Beit Lahia to rebuild my shop, which was destroyed in the war,” the 30 year old said.
The Khan Younis Training Centre alone hosts more than 22,000 IDPs, according to the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with less than two square metres of space per person and each toilet shared by at least 600 people.
As these shelters take on a life of their own, skilled workers such as Bassam, who owned a barbershop in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, have begun setting up stalls or finding creative alternatives to make an income, such as mobile phone maintenance services or transporting passengers in animal-driven carts.
Khan Younis residents have also benefited from the influx of IDPs opening businesses in the vicinity of shelters.
Greeting his customers with a soft smile, Bassam teases his regulars from Beit Lahia with jokes of “I will remain your barber wherever you are displaced to”.
Makeshift stalls
The stalls have formed a bazaar-like market, selling vegetables, home appliances, bed covers, second-hand clothes, water and wood.
Some displaced families opt to sell basic items provided by UNRWA so they can buy other essentials.
It is no longer possible to stay without work because life is demanding and the family’s needs are endless
Ali Al Dabba,
displaced Palestinian
At the entrance to UNRWA's main shelter centre, Ali Al Dabba has set up a grocery stall, displaying on a table a few brands of biscuits, cooking oil, water, milk powder and other merchandise he bought from displaced families.
Each morning, the displaced Gaza city resident tours tents and UNRWA facilities to buy various items at a reasonable price, hoping to make a 20-shekel ($5.12) profit per day to support his family of 11.
“It is no longer possible to stay without work because life is demanding and the family’s needs are endless,” Mr Al Dabba said.
Even before the current Israel-Gaza war, the enclave was suffered from a financial crisis, in basic social services and infrastructure, due to a 13-year sea, land and air blockade imposed by Israel.
In August, the World Food Programme reported that much of the population of the Gaza Strip was suffering from poverty and food insecurity.
On a main street near some shelters, a long line of customers starts forming around Mohammed Ramadan’s falafel cart. He quickly fills paper cones with the freshly-fried falafel, as his friends work tirelessly to fry more.
Pleased to find the popular Palestinian street food while the war rages on, customers wait patiently.
Mr Ramadan, 30, tries to tend to the long queues of customers as quickly as possible, as it starts to rain.
He divides the falafel carefully to make sure there is enough for everyone.
“It is not possible to prepare great quantities due to a shortage in ingredients in the market – fava beans and hummus – and to find a place with electricity for a mixer to blend them,” he told The National.
While selling falafel is the main source of income for Mr Ramadan and his family, he is happy to feed other displaced Palestinians.
“There aren't other falafel vendors around the shelters or even in residential neighbourhoods due to power cuts – and cooking gas has run out,” Mr Ramadan said.
According to OCHA, Gaza’s only mill has ceased operations due to lack of electricity and fuel as a result of the Israeli-imposed siege.
Eleven bakeries in southern Gaza have been destroyed since October 7. People queue for long hours outside bakeries that are still standing, where there is always danger of more air strikes.
Despite the hardships of displacement and war, Palestinians in Khan Younis say they welcome any semblance of normality returning to daily life.
This article was produced in collaboration with Egab
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
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Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
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Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
more from Janine di Giovanni
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports