RAFAH, Gaza Strip — A group of women in the Gaza Strip are producing dairy products from sheep and cows in the enclave’s first factory with an entirely female workforce. The factory in Rafah, called Ayadi Tayyiba (Kind Hands), opened Feb. 22 with the support of the Japanese nongovernmental organization the Pacific Asia Resource Center’s Interpeoples’ Cooperation.
The ongoing Israeli siege has caused high rates of poverty and unemployment in the Gaza Strip, especially among women. A report issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in February showed that the unemployment rate among women in Gaza reached nearly 60%, amounting to 225,000 in the fourth quarter of 2021.
