With every sunrise, Hamza, a Palestinian child in Gaza, starts work.
His story is a typical one in the local society.
He is one of thousands of children who are forced to work
to provide minimum income for their families.
His family contains ten people, two of whom are disabled.
His father has been unemployed for 8 years.
Hamza's days all start and finish in the same way:
instead of going to school and pursuing his dreams
like some children his age, he sells candy to people on the streets
to make a small income that might improve his family's living situation.
I wish to continue my studies and reach the university level.
I would like to have a profession like a doctor or a lawyer
Or something like that.
At this moment, I only know how to read and write.
Hamza must even work at feastings, where other children have fun.
I didn't have fun at the feasting. I worked during that time.
This is one of Hamza's dreams, to fix and rebuild his roof.
It's not strange that Hamza and thousands his age go to work
while their fathers are unemployed.
Because of the tight siege imposed on Gaza in 2006,
and because of the Israeli procedures and the prevention of raw materials
entering Gaza, 65% of Palestinians are now unemployed.
This has so many effects on the society in general.
That's not everything. More than 80% of Palestinians live in poverty.
The Palestinian society is facing so many problems
because of these procedures.
More poverty, fewer necessities are available: medicine, food, clean water.
The main reason for the unemployment is the siege.
Before that there used to be work in farming, construction, industry.
Now there are none of these activities, and that causes the unemployment.
Now people are looking for simple jobs to provide minimum income.
The laborers cannot do these jobs because of their physical structure.
So in that case, who is it who will do these jobs?
The small children.
This is the destiny of Hamza and thousands of Gaza children:
to take on huge responsibilities.
Instead of feeling free, going to school and enjoying childhood,
they end up selling in the streets.
