Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Ahmad Mohsen, 24, sits in a shop selling prepaid internet access cards in Deir el-Balah. Three years ago, before Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza started, he imagined a different future. He had graduated with a degree in nursing and was preparing to complete the procedures required to obtain his professional licence.
He dreamed of working in a hospital, pursuing a master’s degree or taking specialised courses. But the war pushed him onto a different path. During the first months of the war, Mohsen worked as a volunteer at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, amid large numbers of wounded and dead, before the lack of pay led him to look for other work.
The upcoming Palestinian legislative elections, scheduled for November 28, would be Mohsen’s first national vote, and the first Palestinian legislative election since 2006. Mohsen has his priorities: he wants candidates to address problems facing his generation, including unemployment, security, housing, education and healthcare. Mohsen’s concerns are common among Palestinians in Gaza, where unemployment sits at about 80 percent.
The enclave’s economy has been destroyed following years of Israeli blockade and its war that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians. His family owns land east of Gaza’s Salah al-Din Street, in an area Israel restricts access to, leaving him unable to reach it. He hopes that, in accordance with the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, Israel will soon withdraw from the area and allow for reconstruction to begin in the devastated territory.
For Mohsen, elections are not enough if they do not translate into improvements in people’s lives. They should speak for us, the young people who have been wronged for 20 years through wars and destruction. There needs to be an end to this,” he said.
Unlike Mohsen, Ghassan Marwan, 53, carries memories of the 2006 elections, which were won by Hamas. Marwan previously worked as a goldsmith and established a factory that became his family’s source of income. When he went to the polls in 2006, he hoped the elections would help improve people’s lives, provide security and jobs, and give his children a more stable future.
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