RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Tunisia only needed Tarek al-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi in December 2010 to start the Arab Spring and subsequently the country ruled by a dictator became a lawful democratic state. The goals of Tunisians were accomplished after the suicide of Bouazizi, who set himself on fire in a protest against the oppressive security policies.

Committing suicide by hanging, poisoning or setting oneself on fire is now more common for those who have completely lost hope. For them, it is the easiest way to find eternal rest and to escape from the political, economic and social injustice they are subject to. The Gaza Strip, besieged for the past eight years and suffering the misfortunes of isolation, is witnessing the new phenomenon of suicide that is plaguing its streets, just like Tunisia and Egypt.

A resident of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, who worked in a public health company for the Ministry of Health, was fired by his boss when he found out his employee had hepatitis A. “I used to get paid around $200 a month and supported my large family on this. Suddenly, I found myself on the streets, begging for money to put food on the table,” he told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. He suffered psychological and economic problems for three weeks after he lost his job. He then consumed rat poison in an attempt to end his life, but miraculously he survived.

Al-Monitor contacted the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior to obtain accurate statistics regarding the number of people who have committed suicide in the Gaza Strip. However, the ministries said that such statistics were unavailable.