A handful of electronic components, a few wires and a basic programmable circuit board are enough to bring a group of curious children around a table in central Gaza to learn about robotics.
asserted
handful → bring → robotics
Students at The Next Gen Team: Rising Robotics Engineer Project in Deir el-Balah learn how to integrate sensors into alarm systems, study robotics, understand how motors and drive units work, as well as get firsthand experience with programming.
asserted
motors → learn → programming
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allegations → injure → Israel
The children’s research could save lives in the future.
uncertain
research → save → future
The robotics and early warning systems they are working on could make way for bigger developments such as early detection of gas leaks and fires or help rescue workers access hard-to-reach areas, such as victims trapped under rubble.
uncertain
workers → work → rubble
Today’s lesson will also teach students the sciences of the future and help them keep pace with technological advancements happening outside Gaza’s borders.
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them → teach → borders
Before the war, students had access to schools, universities, incubators and training programmes to pursue an interest in technology.
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students → have → technology
With much of that infrastructure now destroyed or damaged during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, there are few places and tools for students to work with.
asserted
students → destroy → Gaza
But their interest in robotics and will to learn are helping them maintain their skills and ambitions for the future, something they hope will be of benefit when the bombs stop falling on Gaza.
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bombs → learn → Gaza
Learning with limited tools
Hamza al-Atrash, 16, is a student taking part in the “Next Gen” project and learning how electronic components can be used to develop robots and early-warning systems.
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components → learn → robots
To do this, he is using an Arduino controller – a programmable circuit board which connects sensors – and some other electronics.
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which → do → electronics
Students work with what they have, but a shortage of equipment and electricity outages make studying a challenge.
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studying → work → equipment
“We have capabilities and aspirations that we want to develop, and we try to take advantage of every available opportunity for learning and training,” Hamza tells Al Jazeera.
asserted
Hamza → have → Jazeera
Hamza hopes the skills that he and his cohort learn in class will benefit his community and provide new opportunities for young people in Gaza.
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he → hop → Gaza
“The lack of devices and equipment doesn’t mean we’ll stop.
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we → mean → devices
It pushes us to look for solutions and make the most of the simple tools we have,” he said.
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he → push → tools
The challenges facing these students are part of a wider disruption to Gaza’s technology and innovation sector.
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challenges → face → sector
Before the war, Gaza had several incubators that supported technology projects and startups.
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that → have → projects
Bahaa al-Masri, head of the training team for the Early Warning Systems and Robotics Project, said it provided a rare bit of hope for children and young adults in the besieged enclave.
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it → say → enclave
“These incubators provided an environment for training and development.
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incubators → provide → training
They helped innovators and entrepreneurs turn their ideas and projects into prototypes and ventures,” he told Al Jazeera.
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he → help → Jazeera
The war severely damaged this ecosystem: training spaces were lost, equipment difficult to find, and students and innovators left with limited opportunities to experiment and develop their ideas.
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students → damage → ideas
Although challenges remain, the trainers are continuing their mission of educating budding tech experts in Gaza.
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trainers → remain → Gaza
“We have a generation of students who possess genuine passion and talent in technology and digital systems,” he told Al Jazeera.
asserted
he → have → Jazeera
“They need the environment and tools to develop these abilities and turn their ideas into projects that can serve their community and their future.”
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that → need → community
Education pays the price
The near-collapse of Gaza’s technology sector has coincided with the widespread destruction of the education system, with schools, universities and research facilities repeatedly targeted by Israel during the war.
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schools → pay → war
Preliminary estimates from the Government Media Office in Gaza put direct losses to the education sector at approximately $4bn.
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estimates → put → 4bn
Seventeen higher education institutions have been completely or partially destroyed since October 2023, preventing about 620,000 high school students and 90,000 university students from continuing their education.
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institutions → destroy → education
Approximately 20,228 students and 830 teachers and educational staff have also been killed, along with 194 scientists, academics and researchers.
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students → kill → scientists
For students seeking to enter technical fields, the loss of such educational facilities and teachers means fewer opportunities to gain practical experience and hone their skills.
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loss → seek → skills
Before the war, the IT industry was one of the promising sectors of Gaza’s economy and a rare source of foreign income, said Ahmad Abu Qamar, an economic affairs specialist and board member of the Palestinian Economists Syndicate.
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Qamar → say → Syndicate
It was also an opportunity for employment for thousands of university graduates entering a job market with high unemployment, with roughly 80 percent of its economic activities directed towards foreign markets.
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percent → enter → markets
Abu Qamar estimates that the IT sector now runs at less than 25 percent of pre-war levels, while more than 70 percent of IT companies in Gaza have completely or partially halted operations.
But even if a company’s offices or equipment survived the war on Gaza, damage to digital infrastructure has also made it difficult for companies to continue functioning.
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companies → estimate → infrastructure
Prices of some technical equipment – including computers, mobile devices, servers, routers, fibre-optic lines, and cabling – used in the industry have increased by more than 600 percent due to the difficulties of importing devices during Israel’s ongoing siege on the enclave.
asserted
Prices → include → enclave
According to his estimates, about 30,000 IT professionals have lost their jobs since the war began.
uncertain
war → accord → jobs
General unemployment is at nearly 80 percent and poverty at more than 90 percent in the enclave.
Brain drain
A severe shortage of vital IT equipment – such as storage devices, routers, and laptops – has been compounded by the destruction of supporting internet and electricity infrastructure, including primary and secondary networks, according to technology and digital economy expert Abdullah Altahrawi with the UCAS Technology Incubator.
uncertain
shortage → compound → Incubator
This makes the task of rebuilding Gaza’s IT sector an even bigger challenge than before the war, particularly with Israel’s more crippling siege on Gaza.
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task → make → Gaza
“The repercussions have extended to dealings with foreign markets, including the purchase of servers and electronic services, the management of digital accounts, the use of cards and e-commerce,” Altahrawi said.
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Altahrawi → extend → cards
Before the war, Gaza’s five main incubators provided training, mentoring, workspaces and support for tech startups.
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incubators → provide → startups
Perhaps most crucially, it also gave students a place to develop their skills, connect with foreign markets, and find job opportunities.
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it → give → opportunities
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
