Connecting Gaza to the global digital economy
Across Gaza, tech workers sit with their laptops in small rooms—some packed with folding tables and plastic chairs, others furnished with office desks and swivel chairs. They’re connected to the internet—and the global digital economy—pursuing work despite all the hardship they are enduring.
As damage and destruction to 75% of Gaza’s telecommunications networks disrupts connectivity, Gaza Sky Geeks has opened new co-working spaces across the region. Founded in 2011 by Prosper Global and Google, Gaza Sky Geeks is Palestine's first and only tech hub, startup accelerator, and coding academy built inside one of the most blockaded territories on earth.
Yolande Knell, Middle East Correspondent at BBC World, reported on Gaza Sky Geeks in her article, “Digital lifeline' - Gaza tech workers give glimpse of possible future.” The new co-working spaces rely on generators and solar panels to power stable internet connections and access to electricity. The shared workspaces offer both a reprieve and a chance to continue making a living through technology, freelancing, and entrepreneurship.
“I am starting from scratch, from zero, to start a new career," says Tarik Zaeem, speaking to me from a co-working space in Gaza City. Before the war, the 44-year old was the chief technology officer for a local firm. Now, he is a freelance programmer.
"When I work on my laptop, I forget everything. I forget what's happened," Tarik says. He has recently developed a mobile app to make bookings for a barber's shop and a valet parking app for a Saudi client.
Most of Tarik's income goes to support his wife and three children, who are now living in neighboring Egypt - as he used his savings to buy their exit early in the war.”
Read the full story at BBC.
Note: In September 2026, Mercy Corps changed our name to Prosper Global to better reflect the work we do. In coverage that predates the name change, Prosper Global is referred to as Mercy Corps.
