Gaza Camp Builds Homemade Wind Turbines
Displaced Palestinians in Khan Yunis are using scrap metal and salvaged debris to generate electricity as solar panels become unaffordable.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Energy
Displaced Palestinians in a Khan Yunis camp have built homemade wind turbines from scrap metal and salvaged debris to generate electricity. The effort comes as more than 90 percent of Gaza's power generation and distribution capacity has been destroyed.
Why it matters
Gazans have had no work or income for three years, and solar panels have become unaffordable after prices soared as goods trickle in through Israeli-controlled crossings. The turbines offer a local alternative for powering essentials such as medical equipment.
Wind turbines built from scooter motors and old water tanks cut into blades drive a motor that generates electricity, which is stored in batteries. The source does not report the turbines' output capacity or the number of people they power.
The players
Kamal Al-Dabary
A 60-year-old former engineering student who built the wind turbines in the Khan Yunis camp.
Saleh ben Hasan
A 50-year-old camp resident who says the wind power system has changed everything for the camp.
World Bank
The international financial institution that reported in April 2026 that more than 90 percent of Gaza's power capacity had been destroyed.
The details
Kamal Al-Dabary, a 60-year-old former engineering student, built the turbines using scooter motors, old water tanks cut into blades, and circuits made from parts recovered from destroyed homes. Saleh ben Hasan, 50, says the system has changed everything for his camp.
Timeline
October 7, 2023: Hamas attack on Israel triggered the war.
April 2026: World Bank reported more than 90 percent of Gaza's power capacity destroyed.
After three years of war: Prices soared and solar panels became unaffordable.
Roadmap
The homemade turbines respond directly to the infrastructure collapse the World Bank measured in April 2026, when more than 90 percent of Gaza's power capacity was destroyed. They show how displaced communities are improvising decentralized energy when centralized grids and imported solar equipment are out of reach.
Residents in displacement camps are relying on improvised power to run essentials such as nebulizers for medical care. Readers following the story can track how aid and fuel access into Gaza affects whether such local systems can be maintained.
The takeaway
Improvised energy systems are keeping some essential equipment running where the power grid has been destroyed, but their scale remains limited by blocked access to parts and fuel. The story illustrates how war-damaged infrastructure forces communities toward low-cost, locally assembled alternatives.
Further reading
For more on alternative power sources, see the Energy section.
