Gaza tech incubator UCAS launches recovery plan after war destruction

The UCAS Technology Incubator in Gaza City has initiated a recovery plan to restore core programmes and establish new workspaces, aiming to support over 100 beneficiaries in its first phase. The initiative follows the destruction of the incubator’s headquarters and laboratories by Israeli attacks in August 2024, which also resulted in the deaths of staff and participants, including director Tariq Thabet. Despite the loss of infrastructure and human capital, the organisation continues operations from a rented location, maintaining training projects such as “e-Lancer” and partnerships with the al-Amal Institute for Orphans to support economic empowerment for youth and women.

Abdallah al-Tahrawi, director of the UCAS Technology Incubator, stated that the centre was established 13 years ago to invest in Palestinian youth and foster innovation. Prior to the war, the incubator supported more than 500 young tech professionals and hosted projects in IT, food manufacturing, commerce, and creative industries. The incubator previously boasted 13 specialised facilities, including training halls and media production studios, funded by grants from the European Union, Qatar, and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development. UCAS provided grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 to help young people establish or develop startups.

A field assessment of 100 startups in Gaza conducted by the incubator revealed significant losses in human capital. Mohammed al-Safadi, a computer professor supervising the “e-Lancer” project, noted that technical laboratories, computers, and specialised training halls have been destroyed. Tharaa al-Sharif, a student beneficiary, stated that the project equipped her with practical skills to compete in the modern digital market. Amina Hammou, coordinator of fashion design and arts at the college, explained that the partnership with the al-Amal Institute for Orphans trains participants in fashion design and sewing to professional standards, with all equipment provided free of charge. Bayan al-Shurafa, a student participant, said the initiative changed her life and gave her hope to support her family.

The Israeli army has systematically targeted dozens of programmers, IT experts, and computer engineers during its campaign. According to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, the Israeli military has killed hundreds of intellectuals and experts in the blockaded enclave. That number includes Tariq Thabet, the director of the UCAS Technology Incubator Programs, who was killed on October 31, 2023, in an Israeli air strike that also killed his wife, children, and parents. Other prominent tech leaders killed include Baraa Abdullah al-Saqqa, a software engineer, who was killed in a November 2023 air strike along with his pregnant wife and in-laws; and Haitham Mohammad al-Nabahin, regarded as one of Gaza’s most accomplished computer engineering specialists, also killed alongside his wife, in a March 14 strike on a home in the Bureij refugee camp.

Before the war, about 65 businesses operated in Gaza’s tech sector. Euro-Med estimates that programming and IT company headquarters have been almost completely destroyed, six business incubators have been damaged, and all university-affiliated tech centres have been closed. The rights group stated that these crimes appear to be part of an Israeli policy aimed at making Gaza uninhabitable by destroying fundamental life structures and eliminating talent. The widespread destruction of training centres, coupled with frequent power and internet blackouts, has brought much of Gaza’s entrepreneurial momentum to a halt.

UCAS is still continuing its efforts, and now operates from a rented location in Gaza City. Mohammed al-Safadi, a computer professor supervising the “e-Lancer” tech capacity-building project funded by the UCAS incubator, emphasised that the material losses have been compounded by the derailment of hundreds of young careers. “Technical laboratories, computers, and specialised training halls have been destroyed, and several developmental projects aimed at training youth in programming and web development have stopped,” he told Al Jazeera. Despite the challenges, the e-Lancer project continues to try and maintain its training programmes, viewing digital skills as a crucial path for economic recovery.

The UCAS incubator’s role extends beyond tech, supporting economic empowerment programmes for those most affected by the war. UCAS partnered with the al-Amal Institute for Orphans on one such project, with the aim of supporting girls who lost their fathers – often their family’s main breadwinner – during the war. Amina Hammou, coordinator of fashion design and arts at the college, explained that the project trains participants in fashion design and sewing to professional standards. She added that all necessary equipment and materials are provided free of charge so that young women can enter the labour market and help support their families. Bayan al-Shurafa, a student participating in the project, said the initiative had changed her life. “I am now able to execute complete designs and experience working in sewing and embroidery with confidence and professionalism, which gives me hope to build a better future and support my family in facing difficult circumstances,” she told Al Jazeera.

Amidst the rubble and the exodus of talent, the UCAS incubator is trying to salvage Gaza’s innovation ecosystem. For its organisers, reconstruction is not merely about rebuilding stones, but about rebuilding people and empowering youth to shape their own futures, even in the harshest of conditions.