Photos: Gazan barber rebuilds his livelihood inside his family’s tent

This is the latest dispatch from Rizek Abdel Jawad, a photojournalist based in Gaza City who frequently contributes to the NB Media Co-op.

Shadi al-Barawi, a barber from Gaza, is pictured working inside his family’s tent, which he has transformed into a small barbershop.

Al-Barawi lost his leg last year when his family’s home in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City was targeted in an Israeli attack. His barbershop was also destroyed during the Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip, which has been widely denounced as a genocide.

From the rubble, al-Barawi salvaged some of his barbering equipment and decided to start over. Today, he works inside the tent where he lives with his family and four children — three daughters and a son — trying to provide for them despite the hardship they have endured.

In a tent barely large enough to fit his family, al-Barawi created a workspace for himself and insisted on continuing. He earns approximately 50 shekels a day, equivalent to about CAD$23, which is barely enough to feed himself and his family, but he says it’s “better than living without work.”

He hopes to get a prosthetic leg that will allow him to walk again.

This text was originally written in Arabic. An English version was produced using translation software, with editorial support from the NB Media Co-op. 

Rizek Abdel Jawad is a photojournalist based in Gaza City. To see more of his work, follow him on Instagram and Facebook. He is part of the Connecting Gaza initiative, which helps families in Gaza survive. You can support them by going to www.connectinggaza.org/donate.