4 days ago
Gaza: When the oud plays, the war falls silent for a moment – DW – 08/17/2025
Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS
Gaza College, a school in Gaza City. The walls of the building are riddled with shrapnel, the windows blown out. Three girls and a boy sit in guitar class with their teacher, Mohammed Abu Mahadi. He believes that music can help the residents of the Gaza Strip heal psychologically from the pain of bombing, loss and deprivation. Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS
At the beginning of 2024, Ahmed Abu Amsha, a guitar and violin teacher, was one of the first of the scattered teachers and students of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music to offer evening classes again to those displaced by the war in southern Gaza. Now he lives in Gaza City in the north again. Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS
"Music gives me hope and alleviates my anxiety," says 15-year-old Rifan al-Qassas, who began learning to play the oud, an Arabic lute, at the age of nine. Al-Qassas hopes to be able to perform abroad one day. People are deeply concerned about being uprooted again following the Israeli cabinet's decision on August 8 to take control of Gaza City. Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS
In front of the music teacher's tent lies Gaza City in ruins. Almost all residents are crammed into emergency shelters or camps; food, clean water and medical aid are scarce. Students and teachers are weakened by hunger, and some find it difficult to attend classes. Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS
Palestinian Youssef Saad poses with his oud in front of the destroyed school building. Only a few instruments survived the fighting. At 18 years old, Youssef already has a big dream: "I hope that I can teach children music so that they can see beauty despite the destruction." Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS
No matter the dire conditions, learning to play instruments still calls for a performance in front of an audience. In a tent, the music students show off their skills and receive loud applause. The musical repertoire is wide-ranging. A 20-year-old guitar student says, "I love discovering new genres, but especially rock. I'm really into rock." Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS
Singing also plays an important role. The harmonies of the children's voices on the improvised stage are a welcome contrast to the rhythm of the deadly explosions that the people in Gaza live with every day. Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS
Osama Jahjouh plays the ney flute, which is used in Arabic, Persian and Turkish music. He says, "Sometimes I rely on breathing exercises or playing silently when the shelling is intense. When I play, I feel like I can breathe again, as if the ney is releasing the pain inside me." Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS Culture Palestinian Territories 08/17/2025 August 17, 2025
