From a Single Workshop to 12 Camps

The story began with an awareness workshop in Halawa Camp, north of Gaza City, bringing together 29 men—including community notables, traditional reconcilers (Rijal Al-Islah), and camp administration representatives, alongside the director of the Halawa Camps Compound, which encompasses 12 displacement camps.

During the workshop, mediation shifted from a theoretical concept into a practical experience through a realistic conflict simulation involving a water collection queue dispute between two families. The exercise demonstrated how structured dialogue opens pathways to resolution, while clarifying key distinctions between mediation and customary reconciliation (Islah), as well as defining strict intervention boundaries in sensitive matters such as inheritance and child custody.

"The clarity of these concepts and seeing them applied correctly in our Gazan reality—simulating recurring problems and disputes and resolving them within our actual context—made all the difference."

Through this session, the message was no longer confined to a single camp; it reached an entire compound serving 12 camps via local actors positioned to cascade this knowledge to their respective communities.

Reflecting on the impact of the experience, one participant shared:

"I never truly understood arbitration in its proper context... Now I have clear knowledge and can distinguish between mediation, arbitration, negotiation, and conciliation."