GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Residents of the Old City of Hebron in Area H2 that is under Israeli control by virtue of the 1997 Hebron Agreement are facing increasing restrictions imposed by the Israeli army and harassment from settlers. Israel is imposing restricting measures that include curfews, house raids, turning roofs into military barracks and closing down shops, as well as erecting checkpoints and restricting the citizens’ movement from and into the town.

Palestinians argue that Israel is seeking to remove them from the Old City and take full control over it, especially since it includes the Ibrahimi Mosque, which the Palestinian Authority (PA) succeeded in registering with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2017 as a historic Palestinian cultural landmark. Israel for its part declared in 2010 the mosque a Jewish heritage site.

In an attempt by the residents to strengthen their resilience and improve their economic situation, women have resorted to small domestic ventures.

Najah Zahdah, 41, a mother of six who started a project selling crocheted dolls and clothes, told Al-Monitor, “I graduated from a handicrafts class from a UNRWA vocational training center in 1999 but never thought about working until a few years ago. Given the difficult economic conditions and the blockade imposed on the old town, I began crocheting and sewing.”