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Why Gaza merchants are forgiving debt

A new social campaign in the Gaza Strip encourages debt forgiveness in light of people's economic straits due to the 11-year blockade.
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NUSEIRAT CAMP, Gaza Strip — Three hundred young men distributed 600 food packages to poor families in the five governorates of the Gaza Strip on Jan. 19 as part of “Sameh, Toujar” (Forgive and You Shall Receive), a campaign that started Jan. 1. The campaign launched when a group of activists decided to encourage merchants to drop the debt of Gaza residents unable to pay their bills due to the tough economic situation. Salary cuts and the Israeli blockade, ongoing for 11 years, have made life in Gaza difficult.

Campaign spokesman Wael Abu Mohsen, an independent journalist, told Al-Monitor, “The campaign started out unorganized, when Osama Abu Dalal, a 32-year-old owner of a shoe shop in the Gaza Strip, decided to scratch people’s debts during a conversation with a bunch of young social activists about helping the poor. We proposed that he post news about forgiving the debts on Facebook under the hashtag #Sameh_toujar — the campaign slogan.”

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