A Palestinian young man, a master's degree holder in Arabic language, may think that after years of study the hard work is over, but chances of keeping his dream alive to become a teacher can prove an altogether tougher assignment. Mahdi Ramadan, from Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip, said high unemployment and comparatively poor living conditions force him to work as a gravedigger instead of as an Arabic language teacher.

Mahdi, hoping soon to fulfill his dream, said he decided to work as a gravedigger along with his father to support himself and his family.

Gaza's unemployment rate rose to seventy-five percent amid the tough living conditions there and Israel's blockade on the coastal Gaza strip.