Fuad’s Story: Young Leaders, Big Impact: Youth Shaping Humanitarian Futures

Occupied Palestinian Territory – The ongoing war against Gaza since October 2023 has changed the lives of young people whose dreams were shattered. Fuad ( 31 years old) is, a young man who once dreamed of building a simple, stable life in Gaza. A year before the war, he opened a small shop. For him, it was more than just a business—it was proof that even under siege, a young person could dream, plan, and achieve something of his own.

The living conditions of young people in Gaza were difficult before the war due to repeated wars and 17 years of blockade. Fuad describes those conditions: “as a young person, I am directly affected by the occupation, as the violations have extended to all of my rights — rights guaranteed by international laws and standards — especially those related to freedom of movement and travel. For example, if there is an international conference, I unfortunately cannot attend because of my age as a youth. Through the Erez crossing, I’m unable to travel or reach the West Bank or Jerusalem. The blockade has also had a direct impact on the economic situation. As a result, opportunities for youth are extremely limited in this context”. 

But when the war started in October 2023, those conditions are getting worse and worse day by day and dreams of youth collapsed in a single day. Faud’s home was bombed, and his shop—his project—was reduced to rubble. After bombing the house, Faud’s family was displaced, forced to move from one shelter to another. On the road, bombs rained down on people fleeing, and Fuad spent hours fearing he might lose everyone he loved.

For Fuad, and for so many youths in Gaza, the war did more than destroy buildings. It tore away basic education, work, health, and safety. Schools closed, universities were left in ruins, and entire generations of young people lost their chance to study. With continuity of war, youth as Faud are not sure about their future.Faud says: “Sometimes, I wonder if starting again is even possible. If I rebuild, will it all be destroyed again?”

Despite these conditions, Faud tried to utilize all opportunities offered to youth. He was offered to be part and founding member of establishing the Humanitarian Youth Group -Palestine (HYGP) supported by ActionAid Palestine (AAP) in 2022. The members of this group are leading different humanitarian initiatives responding to humanitarian needs resulting from this war and previous ones. They   began volunteering, setting up tents for displaced families and helping deliver food, water, and medical supplies where they could.  Youth groups in the Gaza Strip managed to carry out multiple psychological activities in safe places — at least where possible, despite the lack of truly safe areas as a kind of interactive activities that alleviate the psychological impact of this war on the children.

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Youth in Gaza are trained on leading humanitarian responses to be prepared to all emergency conditions. Faud says: “youth have believed that they must play a humanitarian role at every stage of our people’s lives, during the war and before it.They have been working as volunteers in the field, providing activities that serve the community during wars and crises. They lead these activities, so when a crisis occurs, they are already present on the ground as youth groups and coalitions. During war, these coalitions gather, plan, collaborate with local institutions, and begin implementing direct activities for every crisis faced by our Palestinian people”.

Faud has learned a lot from activities of HYGP, and it taught him that even in times of despair, youth can lead. Fuad learned how to assess needs, coordinate with organizations, and transfer knowledge to other young volunteers. He discovered that the strength of Gaza’s youth lies not only in surviving but in helping others survive too.

Today, Fuad believes youth must not only be responders in the field but also decision-makers in shaping humanitarian and political solutions. “We are the ones on the ground,” he explains. “We know the needs. But we are absent from decision-making. That has to be changed.”

ActionAid’s approach in supporting youth is based on considering them as active agents for change which encourages youth participation and engagement. Faud says: “ what gives me hope as a young person is that some organizations, like ActionAid, provide spaces for youth to be partners—at least on the ground—and as a group in determining all the necessities for delivering services. We, as a group, have independent decision-making, but ActionAid provides us with all the necessary support and resources. We are pushing for more international organizations to do the same and provide these spaces for youth, as they will be able to participate in decision-making and implement what is needed on the ground. They are present on the ground and in the field, but absent in decision-making, even within international organizations.

Fuad’s story reflects the reality of thousands of young people in Gaza. Their challenges are immense—bombed homes, lost jobs, blocked opportunities, unsafe streets. Yet they continue to adapt, to learn, and to give back to their communities despite the risks.

What keeps Fuad going is a deep love for humanitarian work and an unshaken hope that youth will one day lead the rebuilding of Gaza—not just its buildings, but its future. “My message to the world is: pressure decision-makers to stop this insane war. The Palestinian people ask for nothing more than to have their rights guaranteed by international standards and laws, and for the UN resolutions, which enjoy international and global consensus, to be implemented.

About ActionAid International
ActionAid International is a global federation working with more than 41 million people in over 72 of the world’s poorest countries. We strive to build a just and sustainable world where every person enjoys the right to a life of dignity, freedom, and a future free from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice, gender equality, and the eradication of poverty.

ActionAid Palestine began its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people, affirming their right to freedom, justice, and self-determination. ActionAid Palestine implements several programs in collaboration with Palestinian communities, youth groups, and women, seeking to empower women and youth and enhance their active civic and political participation. The organization works to strengthen their understanding of rights, support collective action to address rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation and improve their leadership capacities to exercise citizenship and hold authorities and other duty-bearers accountable.

For more information, please contact:
Riham Jafari
Communications and Advocacy Officer, ActionAid Palestine
Email: Riham.Jafari@actionaid.org