Abdulrahman and Hadeel excelled in a local startup incubation program, securing $6,000 in funding to launch their content marketing company in 2022. The business officially opened in September 2023, but just a month later, Hamas’s attack on Israel triggered a war, forcing them to suspend their project.
In January 2024, the couple created the Instagram account @Two_Gazans. Contrary to the prevailing media perception of Gaza as a landscape of ruins and incessant bombardment, their account attracted 100,000 followers on its first day and currently has 142,000. This reach allowed them to reach a wider audience—especially in Western countries—and show the world the true reality of Gaza. “People are used to seeing Gaza only through the lens of suffering—and yes, the suffering is real. But we chose to show another side: hope and resilience amidst the pain,” they explain to PLATAFORMA.
According to several United Nations reports, more than half of Gaza’s 2.2 million inhabitants face hunger, while the World Food Program states that a third of the population has gone days without food. The @Two_Gazans couple says that “water scarcity is the most critical problem.” Every day, they begin waiting for supply trucks—if they miss them, they are left without any drinking water. Even when they obtain this precious resource, they face impossible choices: “use it to water dying crops or to drink and maintain basic hygiene.”
Cooking has become a health risk. With fuel scarcity, they burn “wood, plastic bags, and even old clothes” for heat, filling their lungs with toxic fumes. Meanwhile, food prices have skyrocketed—a simple meal costs between $50 and $60 (400 and 500 patacas), while a kilo of tomatoes can cost between $40 and $50 (300 and 400 patacas).
“Our bodies are giving out,” says @Two_Gazans. “We haven’t eaten a decent meal in months—no meat, no chicken, not even basic protein. Every day we wake up exhausted, in pain, and weak. Sometimes people seem fine one moment, and the next, they collapse—all because of hunger, because our most basic needs are being denied.”
Amid the devastation, the support of their followers has been the greatest comfort. “The messages of love and encouragement remind us that we are not alone in this fight,” shares @Two_Gazans.
Still, they say the reality makes it increasingly difficult to maintain hope. “Every day, more people lose it. For us, hope is the only thing that keeps us alive. When you lose hope, you lose everything.”
Fleeing to Survive
The couple admits: “If the borders open, we will leave Gaza without hesitation. This is no longer a place to live—just rubble, ash, and sand. The city has turned into a desert.” When asked where they want to go, they respond: “What we want is simply to live a normal life, something that is no longer possible in Gaza at this time. Our hope is to leave Gaza, and we are trying in every way possible to achieve this. Unfortunately, the only realistic option for us is to request evacuation and immigration… because life here has become unbearable. We ask European countries to support and help us, so that we have a chance at safety, dignity, and a future.”
Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to take full control of the Gaza Strip. The couple says it is difficult to accept, but at the same time, they have reached a state of numbness. “Honestly, even if we were told we could die tomorrow, it wouldn’t change much. In the past, we were very afraid, but now that fear has disappeared; we’ve become numb. Whatever happens, happens. Half of Gaza is already occupied, we’re under siege, and we’re suffering from extreme hunger. Right now, we don’t even have the energy to wait for anything else.”
