For years, Hamada Shaqoura shared his passion for Gaza’s cuisine. Through food blogging, he introduced the flavors of his homeland, posting recipes, family dishes, and the joy that cooking could bring to ordinary days.
But when war destroyed his home and studio, life shifted completely. His first child was born in the middle of rockets, bombings, and hunger. Amid the chaos, Hamada realized that food was no longer just about taste. It could be a lifeline, a shield against despair, and a way to restore dignity.
As he recalls, “When the war destroyed my home and studio, and my first child was born amid rockets and hunger, I realized cooking could become a lifeline.”
From Recipes to Resistance
In Gaza, hunger spread quickly. Families were displaced from their homes. Markets collapsed. Food supplies became scarce. In those moments, Mohammed’s role as a food blogger no longer felt important. He transformed from a content creator into a community cook.
With little more than food aid and whatever ingredients were available, he began preparing meals for displaced families. Children would line up with empty bowls, waiting for food that might be their only meal of the day.
For Hamada, it was more than survival. “I was inspired by the hunger I witnessed around me, and by the smiles of children when I managed to feed them. Food became more than recipes, it became resistance, and a way to protect our humanity.”
Feeding Children in Darkness
What started as small acts of kindness grew into something much larger. Hamada and his team of volunteers created makeshift kitchens, often working under the sound of airstrikes. Despite having little fuel and limited ingredients, they continued to cook every day.
His proudest achievement has been feeding thousands of children in Gaza when hunger surrounded them. Each plate of food was more than nourishment. It was hope, comfort, and proof that life could survive even in war.
“Each meal was more than food, it was hope, a reminder that even in war life and dignity can survive.”
The Daily Struggle of Cooking in War
Cooking in Gaza comes with challenges unimaginable elsewhere. Scarcity of ingredients, shortages of clean water, the lack of cooking gas, and the constant fear of bombs all make the simplest meal a daily struggle.
Sometimes Hamada had only rice, lentils, or canned beans to work with. Other times he had to feed hundreds with barely enough to fill a single pot. Yet he never gave up.
“Even in chaos, showing up to cook every day for people in need taught me that small, steady efforts can create lasting change.”
This mindset, consistency over perfection, became his guiding principle.
Keeping Community Kitchens Alive
Today, Hamada is focused on keeping community kitchens running across Gaza. These kitchens are safe spaces where displaced families can gather, share a meal, and feel human again.
But the work is not easy. Shortages and displacement make every step uncertain. Yet Hamada dreams of building sustainable food projects that will last beyond the war. His vision is to create systems that preserve Gaza’s culinary culture, fight hunger, and give children a sense of hope.
For him, food is not just survival. It is identity, memory, and resistance.
Lessons Learned in the Fire
War has taught Hamada lessons that will stay with him forever. The most important one, he says, is the value of consistency.
“The most valuable lesson I have learned is that consistency matters more than perfection.”
This belief has carried him through times when it seemed impossible to continue. Even when bombs fell nearby, even when ingredients ran out, even when exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, he kept showing up.
And every time he cooked, children smiled, families felt hope, and the community was reminded that dignity still mattered.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Hamada does not want his story to end with him. He hopes to inspire a new generation of chefs from Gaza who see cooking not only as a profession, but as a way to preserve culture and serve their people.
He dreams of a future where young chefs can freely explore their talents, without the constant shadow of war. Where cooking can be about joy, creativity, and celebration, not only survival.
As he puts it, “I would like to be remembered as someone who cooked with love, turned struggle into dignity and hope, and inspired a new generation of chefs from Gaza to believe that their craft can preserve culture, fight hunger, and give people strength even in the darkest times.”
A Message to His Younger Self
When asked what he would tell his younger self, Hamada’s answer is deeply moving: “Be patient and brave. Trust that even in the hardest moments food can open doors. Every recipe and every meal has the power to heal, inspire, and create change.”
It is advice born from years of hardship and courage, words that now guide not only him, but thousands who follow his journey.
Food as Resistance, Food as Hope
At the heart of Hamada’s journey is a simple truth: food is powerful. It can nourish bodies, heal wounds, and remind people of who they are. In Gaza, where war threatens to erase life, cooking becomes an act of resistance.
Every pot he stirs is a protest against hunger. Every meal he serves is a declaration that life will not be broken. And every child he feeds carries forward the belief that even in the darkest times, hope can survive.
His Legacy
Hamada Shaqoura’s story is not just about food, it is about love, resistance, and humanity. From food blogger to lifeline, from recipes to resilience, he has shown the world that a single act repeated daily can change thousands of lives.
His dream is clear, to leave behind a legacy where food is remembered not only as nourishment, but as memory, identity, and strength.
Through his cooking, he has given Gaza’s children more than meals. He has given them hope.
Do follow him on Instagram
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