'It felt like being trapped twice': How young people in Gaza found hope during COVID lockdowns

The study, by Dr Yuval Katz, analysed 61 stories written by young Palestinians in Gaza between the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and September 2021.

Their accounts reveal how people endured not only COVID restrictions but also the long-running blockade and movement restrictions that had already shaped daily life for years.

Dr Katz said: "Much of the world's experience of COVID-19 has been told through stories from Europe, North America and other wealthy countries. This research highlights a very different perspective.

"The young people of Gaza were living through a pandemic on top of restrictions and hardships they had already faced for many years.

"What struck me most was not simply their resilience, but their determination to find joy, maintain relationships and support one another despite incredibly difficult circumstances.

"Their stories show the importance of community, creativity and hope, and offer valuable lessons about how people cope with adversity when resources are limited and uncertainty is everywhere."

One young woman, Israa, described arriving home to Gaza and being placed in a quarantine facility. Although she could hear family members nearby, she was unable to see them.

She found comfort in watching a little girl playing outside and reading messages written on walls by other people in quarantine.

Another writer, Noor, said she realised how serious COVID was when her uncle refused to shake her hand.

She wrote: "What we do have in Gaza is a strong social fabric that holds us together. So, when my uncle refused to shake my hand, it shook something deep inside me."

Many writers spoke about the importance of family, community and traditions. Ramadan celebrations were disrupted, weddings were cancelled or scaled back, and people worried about losing the close social bonds that helped them cope with hardship.

Some young people found new ways to stay connected through a writing project called We Are Not Numbers, which encourages Palestinians to share their experiences with international audiences.

Writers met online, organised socially distanced gatherings and supported one another through the uncertainty of the pandemic.

One contributor described fellow writers as a "second family". Others found unexpected positives in difficult situations. Couples who had been forced to cancel expensive wedding celebrations discovered that smaller ceremonies at home were more intimate and meaningful.

The study found that many writers wanted the rest of the world to understand what lockdown felt like from their perspective.

While COVID restrictions were new for much of the world, many Gazans compared them to experiences they had already lived through for years.

The research highlights how writing, storytelling and digital connections became vital lifelines during the pandemic, helping young people process fear, maintain friendships and share their experiences with a global audience.

Dr Katz said: "Rather than focusing solely on suffering, which is how Gaza is usually mediated to the world, the stories reveal ordinary acts of perseverance: sharing meals, supporting friends, celebrating weddings in simpler ways, and finding moments of happiness despite uncertainty. These constitute inspirational resilience.

"Young people in Gaza taught others around the world, who had never experienced a lockdown before, how to get through a time of great adversity and to harness media to support their efforts to survive."

The paper, Surviving a double lockdown: Inspirational resilience and digital storytelling in Gaza during the COVID-19 pandemic, was and published in the European Journal of Cultural Studies.

Dr Katz's book, titled Media Making as Peacemaking: Israel/Palestine, will be published with Rutgers University Press in September.

ENDS