As Israeli forces continue to attack military camps in Gaza, seventeen years after its withdrawal from the contested occupied territories, Palestinians are finding ways to not only survive but thrive.
One woman has opened up a restaurant just for women — offering a refuge for them in the male-dominated space of public dining and culinary practices in the Gaza Strip.
‘Sabaia VIP,’ a restaurant in Gaza run entirely by women, has been doing brisk business in a conservative and congested enclave where some women complain of lacking private and safe leisure venues https://t.co/HLRj1o9r9i pic.twitter.com/uyzcAtwDkL
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 12, 2022
Founder of “Sabaia VIP”, Reham Hamouda, wanted to create a comfortable and safe space for Palestinian women to come together and enjoy a meal.
“The idea stemmed from our need to have something private, where we can enjoy our independence and our privacy, a place only for women,” Hamouda told Reuters.
Her all-female staff dish up light meals such as sandwiches and pizza, with some preparing the meals at home before bringing it to sell at the restaurant.
One of the eight female staff members is Amena Al-Hayek – a trained chef, who started out working without being paid at a hotel restaurant. When she eventually applied for a paid position there, she was turned down.
Read the article by Jessie Tu on Women’s Agenda.