Jaser AbuMousa, was a Program Officer working for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Gaza, Palestine until the breakout of the current war in the Gaza Strip on the 7th of October 2023. During the war, Jaser lost his wife Heba and two children Hmaid 18 and Abdulrahman 8 and left Gaza with his remaining two children Abdallah and Sham for treatment, and they resided in United Arab Emirates for 13 months.
He was born in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip on 15 May 1979. He graduated Haroun Al Rashid High School in June 1996 with a grade of 93%, and from the Islamic University of Gaza with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in June 2001. In 2005, he received a Master of Science degree in Project Management, the thesis discussed Risk Management.
He worked in several locations including private construction companies and UN agencies as a civil engineer. He later worked as a social worker for UNRWA immediately after the 2008/2009 War known as Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, where many people were living in dire conditions, his social assessments were accredited within UNRWA as the best assessments in 2009. Also, he led a team of 50 social workers to run the poverty survey for UNRWA in Khan Younis area, south Gaza Strip. Afterwards, he led a team of engineers to verify the work of a European contribution of Euro 30 million known as Private Sector Reconstruction in Gaza (PSRG).
During this job, he has engaged with EU, Businessmen Association, Chamber of Commerce and Quartet Office and tested different pilot projects. From 2006-2009 he worked extensively as a political researcher in a think tank based in Gaza; that time was extremely important where for the first time in region, an Islamist armed group has reached to the power through elections and then this very group has taken Gaza by force, and led to what happened on 7 October eventually. The dynamics of that time were important for clients that his works were shared with.
In 2013, he joined the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) where he developed his security management and analysis skills. His performance was evaluated as the best although he was the last person to join a team of 14 members. He worked under huge pressure during the Israeli military Operation Protective Edge in Gaza July-August 2014, reported every single incident, coordinated and communicated movements under fire and followed up the intense political developments.
In his last position, as a program manager for the Swiss Mission in the Palestinian Territories, in addition to project management tasks, he used to prepare a comprehensive biweekly report that discusses the political, social, economic and humanitarian situations in the Gaza Strip.
Jaser as a Yale World Peace Fellow is looking at how Gaza's postwar reconstruction can reflect Palestinians' priorities while repairing the social fabric of society.
