GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A Palestinian startup company that was touted as a model for Gaza entrepreneurship is struggling to recover after its office was badly damaged last weekend in an Israeli airstrike.
The office of Haweya for Information Technology was among dozens of buildings damaged on Saturday in a flare up violence between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza.
Founder Mohammed Qudih estimates the damages at $13,000.
The company was featured in a 2015 Associated Press report about emerging startups trying to overcome Gaza’s isolation.
It’s a rare success story, with 24 young engineers, designers and web developers in a territory where youth unemployment stands at 60 percent, according to the World Bank.
A blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas took over Gaza has caused economic hardship.
