Right now, the Gaza Strip's only grand piano is covered by a big bit of bright red fabric. A piece of paper has been stuck on top haphazardly, a scrawled note that reads simply: "no touch".
The sleek, black Yamaha has been through a lot already, but after being used in a rare public concert last year, in which a group of Japanese and Palestinian pianists performed to a crowd of 300 people at the home of the Red Crescent Society, the piano was seized by the Ministry of Culture and locked away in an office.
Japanese pianist Kaoru Imahigashi played the instrument expertly and opera singer Fujiko Hirai performed Fantasy on Sakura Sakura, one of Japan's most famous folksongs, before the piano was placed front and centre in a strange property dispute.
An early history
The instrument first arrived in Palestine in 1998. It was donated by the Japanese government and left in one of Gaza's theatres, where large concerts were held regularly, before the Second Intifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation, in 2000. The venue was in the now-abandoned al-Nawras resort, north of the Strip.
After the theatre was closed in 2007, the piano sat unused, decaying, until a missile attack during the conflict in 2014 left it completely unplayable. The instrument survived, however, and Brussels charity, Music Fund, painstakingly restored it over the next three years. The performance in 2018 was the instrument's first public appearance in a very long time.
Saed Herzallah is the businessman who bought the resort and all its contents in 2011. "The piano was in the building," he tells The National. "We took it out from the rubble and it was in bad condition. I contacted one of the Belgian relief associations that visited Gaza after the war and told them about the piano and they sent an expert, who fixed it."
Here's where it gets complicated
Herzallah then lent the instrument to the Gaza branch of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music for the concert. And that is when it all got a bit complicated. Herzallah claimed the piano was his, alongside the rest of the contents of al-Nawras, but the Ministry of Culture said it belonged to Palestine, as it was originally a gift from Japan.
After lengthy negotiations, that even involved the Ministry of Interior, they reached an agreement. Herzallah would give the ministry the piano, if they signed a document saying they took it. That is just so he has proof that they seized the instrument from him, Herzallah explains, in case anyone eventually came looking for it.
Saher Younis, a representative of the Japan International Co-operation Agency in Gaza, told The National that the Japanese government was also involved in these discussions. Japan is known to support a two-state solution in the region that they say would allow Palestine and Israel to live "side by side in peace and security", and has given $1.8 billion (Dh6.6bn) in aid to Palestine since 1993, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs says. This aid historically extends to the music scene, too. "We asked them to take the piano back and put it in one of Gaza's musical institutions, so people can use it," Younis says.
What the instruments mean to Gaza
In Gaza, pianos are almost like gold dust; they are extremely expensive and difficult to import, with a 12-year blockade making it tough to get instruments into the Palestinian enclave. Meanwhile, the number of music teachers in Gaza who are able to teach the instrument is also dwindling. Herzallah's plan was to return the Yamaha to the abandoned resort, which he aims to renovate. However, as it is not in a particularly convenient location, that meant the budding musicians of Gaza would miss out on learning how to play a real grand piano.
Ismail Dawood, manager of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Gaza, which has just one instructor on its roster who can teach piano, says that is not good enough. "It is a unique piano and the only one in Gaza, and to leave it not working is a big loss," he says.
It is a unique piano and the only one in Gaza, and to leave it not working is a big loss.
He is just one of many people who want the instrument to be played again soon, as music is one thing that provides some relief to those who live in a territory that for years has been caught in an endless cycle of conflict. Fortunately, it seems that it will not be long before Dawood gets his wish. Areef Baker, the Ministry of Culture's chief of public relations, has confirmed to The National that, after months of discussions, the piano will be returned to the Palestinian people very soon. "We formed a committee to take care of the piano and to locate it in one of the artistic institutions to serve the Palestinian cultural scene," he says.
This committee, he explains, visited about 20 cultural associations around the Gaza Strip to help them to decide where the piano's new home should be, according to a set of strict criteria. While they haven't yet settled on a place, Baker says it is just a matter of weeks until they do.
The ministry is currently conducting training courses for music students, who are learning to play using instruments that have often been donated by relief associations, and it is hoped that the beloved piano will make a reappearance at their graduation ceremony, which the Japanese ambassador is supposed to attend.
"Music is very important [here]," Dawood says. "If we can play music, we can change the cliche of Gaza."
Why is a grand piano so important to Gaza?
A 12-year-long blockade means getting access to new musical instruments in Gaza can be difficult. Everything has to come in via the border crossing with Israel and needs approval from the authorities. This green stamp, unsurprisingly, can take a long time to secure.
It's particularly difficult to bring in a piano, music shop owner Raji Al Jaru, 27, explains. "We can bring in any instrument except the piano, because of its huge size," he tells The National. "These instruments can be damaged if they're left for a long time under the sun. And that's happened, because it was seized at the border until the Israeli authorities gave approval for it to enter Gaza."
Al Jaru, who opened the first music shop in the self-governing Palestinian territory with his father in 2017, imports a wide range of instruments via the Rafah Border Crossing, which is under Egyptian control, or through the Kerem Shalom border, which is managed by the Israel Airports Authority. While the approvals to bring things across the border can be tough and tiresome to get, this isn’t the biggest obstacle in the way of the people of Gaza getting access to pianos, Al Jaru explains.
The hardest thing is actually raising the funds to pay for such an instrument, and that’s why he doesn’t have a single one in the shop – because they’re just so expensive. Keyboards, which he does have, cost between $80 to $270 (Dh295 to Dh990), he explains. The cost of pianos he couldn’t even begin to fathom.
The border blockade also means it’s difficult for the shopownerAl Jaru to travel abroad and fix the instruments he buys. “I feel that I am paralysed because I can’t go to buy the instruments bymyself, and at the same time I will risk my money, because I must buy the instrument without fixing them.”
It may be a vicious cycle and running a music shop is a tough gig in Gaza, but at least it’s better than what he was doing before that, he says. “I graduated from commerce college as an accountant, but I didn’t find any work opportunities, so I thought it would be best for me to start my own business. And because I love music, I chose to open a store to sell musical instruments.”
Al Jaru is also a self-taught musician – “I learnted how to play music from YouTube” – and his instrument of choice is the traditional oud. Luckily, this and the guitar are easy to import, he says, because they’re affordable (about $100 to $250).
He tells us that “interest in music is increasing with time” in the Palestinian cityGaza, but that instruments still need to be made more accessible and affordable.
“People want to learn,” he explains, “but unfortunately the number of people who can actually afford to buy instruments is limited because of the bad economic situation.”
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
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more from Janine di Giovanni
WHAT%20IS%20'JUICE%20JACKING'%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Juice%20jacking%2C%20in%20the%20simplest%20terms%2C%20is%20using%20a%20rogue%20USB%20cable%20to%20access%20a%20device%20and%20compromise%20its%20contents%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20exploit%20is%20taken%20advantage%20of%20by%20the%20fact%20that%20the%20data%20stream%20and%20power%20supply%20pass%20through%20the%20same%20cable.%20The%20most%20common%20example%20is%20connecting%20a%20smartphone%20to%20a%20PC%20to%20both%20transfer%20data%20and%20charge%20the%20former%20at%20the%20same%20time%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20term%20was%20first%20coined%20in%202011%20after%20researchers%20created%20a%20compromised%20charging%20kiosk%20to%20bring%20awareness%20to%20the%20exploit%3B%20when%20users%20plugged%20in%20their%20devices%2C%20they%20received%20a%20security%20warning%20and%20discovered%20that%20their%20phones%20had%20paired%20to%20the%20kiosk%2C%20according%20to%20US%20cybersecurity%20company%20Norton%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20While%20juice%20jacking%20is%20a%20real%20threat%2C%20there%20have%20been%20no%20known%20widespread%20instances.%20Apple%20and%20Google%20have%20also%20added%20security%20layers%20to%20prevent%20this%20on%20the%20iOS%20and%20Android%20devices%2C%20respectively%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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