GAZA STRIP, Gaza — Amid economic difficulties, high rates of unemployment and a general sense of pessimism in Gaza, three young Gazans have created a startup digital content company to help tackle Palestinian problems with a sense of humor and optimism.

A shared sense of humor and a passion for cartoons and animation led three young men in Gaza City to found “Barem,” a short-lived satirical magazine. In colloquial Arabic, “barem” means “to talk about specific issues.”

“Barem,” launched in 2014, was one of the first major projects of the Hawas Group for Creative Content, a startup founded by Ahmed al-Aloul, Hamza Ahmed and Yehya Jabr in December 2012. The company's initial focus was on animation and comics that touched on everyday life in Gaza. “Hawas” translates to “obsession,” and it reflects the passion the three men have for their work.

The Hawas team members had worked together at Johatoon for Cartoon, a company producing children's cartoons for television, from 2008 to 2011. They explained to Al-Monitor that after discovering that they shared the same goals, sense of humor and views on life in Gaza, they decided to launch their own business.