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In the west of Gaza city, the sound of music is temporarily drowning out the staccato sounds of bombs and the constant dull thrum of warplanes.
Guitars are strummed and notes woven into the air from violins as tutors from the Gaza city branch of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music host music lessons for children. It is not their usual setting: the old conservatory in the Tel Al Hawa area of the city, comprising one floor of a building owned by the Palestine Red Crescent Society, is impossible to reach because of Israeli operations.
When war broke out in Gaza in October 2023, the conservatory's staff did not know whether they would see their pupils, or each other, again. Israel's bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza has killed more than 45,900 people in the enclave and made almost the entire population homeless. But Fouad Khader, a music producer and co-ordinator at the conservatory, came up with an idea to bring music to the people.
“The staff of the conservatory were constantly checking on me and the students during the war," Mr Khader told The National. "One day, I suggested: ‘What if we let music help the children escape the atmosphere of war?’ They loved the idea."
The project began in February 2024, but the team was forced to compromise on its plan almost immediately. They had no access to the conservatory's instruments, and no way of knowing whether the building that housed them was still standing. Not one to be defeated, Mr Khader and the team made use of the one instrument that is much harder to take away – the human voice.
The team visited nearly 30 displacement shelters across northern Gaza, encouraging children to sing for peace. Their efforts culminated in the production of a slick music video released in May 2024 and titled Salute to Gaza. It gained 15,000 views on YouTube. It shows a choir of Palestinian children, all wearing keffiyehs in front of a ruined building in the northern Jabalia camp.
“The idea of the song and the video was to amplify the voices of Gaza’s children to the world – voices that speak of resilience amid unimaginable suffering,” Mr Khader explained. These musical activities have created recreational spaces where children can express themselves, release the emotional weight of war and start to heal from trauma.
In December 2024, NGO War Child surveyed 500 Gazan children, parents and caregivers, from families where at least one child is disabled, injured or unaccompanied and found that 96 per cent of children feel death is imminent. It said 87 per cent display severe fear.
"Gaza is one of the most horrifying places in the world to be a child," Helen Pattinson, chief executive of War Child UK, said when the report was released. "Alongside the levelling of hospitals, schools and homes, a trail of psychological destruction has caused wounds unseen but no less destructive on children who hold no responsibility for this war."
Sourcing instruments
In time, the programme expanded to include teaching children how to play musical instruments. “Accessing instruments was a significant hurdle, especially since the conservatory was unreachable, and most instruments had been destroyed in the shelling,” Mr Khader said.
He was also forced to flee Jabalia, leaving behind the few instruments they managed to collect from other institutions, or take with them from their own homes. “We had to start from scratch in Gaza city," he added. "But with the intensification of attacks on Jabalia, many of the children we began teaching also fled, and we lost contact with them.”
The team now operates from a building in the west of Gaza city, but hopes to begin visiting displacement camps once funding is available. Still, the one remaining shop selling instruments in the enclave has been a lifeline, and music lessons began in November. “Every time we acquire instruments, they are destroyed in the ongoing violence. Buying new ones is expensive, but we persist,” Mr Khader said.
Mr Khader is teaching 30 children – 15 are learning the violin and 15 are learning the guitar. Each teacher has only one instrument to share between all of the students.
“This makes it challenging to keep the children engaged as they wait for their turn,” Mr Khader said. "But their enthusiasm never wanes. They eagerly await class time and are reluctant to leave when it ends."
Elias Khader, 10, lost his home and his cherished piano to Israeli bombardment. He had been learning to play at the conservatory before the war began, but lost contact with the programme after moving more than 12 times in search of safety. Miraculously, he found the programme leaders again when he arrived at a relative's home.
“Music gives me a break from the continuous bombing and reminds me of life before the war,” Elias told The National. “When my time at the camp ends, I feel sad knowing I’ll return to the sound of hovering planes.”
Elias said he has rediscovered his passion for music and singing through the camp’s activities, proving that resilience can shine even in the darkest of times. Ishaq Abu Ghanem, 11, originally from Jabalia, lost his father and sustained injuries during the shelling. “Ishaq’s experience was deeply traumatic,” Mr Khader said. "He lived in a constant state of anxiety and was haunted by the incident."
Through the programme, Ishaq has found solace in learning the guitar. He also made new friends and his time at the camp has brought him joy, Mr Khader said. “Music helped Ishaq overcome the haunting memories of the bombing and discover a new passion that boosted his self-confidence.”
