NABLUS: Beneath the bleachers of a stadium in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, several displaced men from Gaza are living in former changing rooms after being unable to return home since the war began more than two years ago.
Among them is 54-year-old Sameer Abu Salah, who had travelled to Israel for work shortly before the conflict erupted. Now stranded in the West Bank, he survives by collecting and selling recyclable materials while supporting his family in Gaza after losing two sons in airstrikes.
The men say they live in fear and isolation, avoiding checkpoints that could force them back into the devastated territory. Many have created makeshift spaces inside the stadium, trying to preserve some sense of dignity and normal life.
Others, like businessman Nahed al-Hilou in Ramallah, have managed to restart small businesses to support relatives still trapped in Gaza.
According to the United Nations, most of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed, while unemployment and poverty have sharply increased since the conflict began.
