Gaza turns rubble into power with homemade wind turbines

Above a maze of tents in a crowded displacement camp in Gaza, homemade wind turbines fashioned from scrap metal and salvaged debris spin in the sea breeze, bringing electricity to Palestinians struggling to survive without power.

In the southern city of Khan Yunis, Kamal Al-Dabary, a former engineering student, is using his skills to help displaced families who, like most Gazans, have no direct access to the territory's devastated power grid.

According to the World Bank, more than 90% of Gaza's power generation and distribution capacity had been destroyed by April 2026, much of it in Israeli strikes that devastated homes and infrastructure.

Sitting on the ground, Dabary worked on electrical wires, metal components and basic tools spread across a plastic table.

After carefully twisting cables together and testing them with a multimeter, a small bulb flickered on, followed by another, signalling that electricity was flowing.

“When solar panels were still relatively affordable, we bought one and kept moving it around to follow the sun,” the 60-year-old, displaced by the war between Israel and Hamas, told AFP.

The war erupted after the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

But after three years of war, prices have soared as aid and commercial supplies have trickled into Gaza through crossings tightly controlled by Israel.

A single solar panel now costs at least 15,000 shekels (nearly $5,000), putting it beyond the reach of most Gazans, Dabary said.

'Changed everything'

“We haven't had work or income for three years,” he said.

“That's when the idea of a wind turbine came to mind. Why not harness the wind? So we salvaged parts from the rubble.”

The turbines are made from scooter motors and old water tanks cut into blades.

As the wind turns the blades, they drive a motor that generates electricity. The power then passes through circuits assembled from components salvaged from destroyed homes before being stored in batteries.

The system generates enough electricity to charge mobile phones and power lights, fans and even electric razors — small comforts that have become luxuries for families living in tents and temporary shelters.

Nearly all of Gaza's residents have been displaced at least once during the war. Most now live in a small area still under Hamas rule, while Israel controls more than 60% of the territory along its perimeter.

“They help us hold on... until God delivers us from this ordeal and we can return home,” said Dabary, known locally as Abu Ayman.

The electricity generated remains limited. But in a camp where shortages are a constant struggle, every watt counts.

The system “has changed everything,” said 50-year-old Saleh ben Hasan.

With healthcare services and medication difficult to access in Gaza, the electricity can also help keep essential medical equipment running.

“If a child needs a nebuliser (a device used to inhale medicine) in the middle of the night, who else can we turn to?” he said.

“Electricity is needed... So we turn to our brother Abu Ayman.”