Tent Choir Brings Hope and Joy to Displaced Children in the Gaza Strip

Article by Viory

In a light-hearted moment, displaced children from Gaza began attending choir training sessions as a way to escape the harsh reality of their enclave, which lacked life-sustaining supplies.

Footage filmed on Friday captures a group of young girls inside a tent at the Al Mawasi Displacement Camp in Khan Yunis, where they were practising patriotic songs, such as Julia Boutros’ ‘We Are the Revolution and Fury’ and ‘I Chose You, My Country’ by singer Marcel Khalife.

“The idea emerged from the daily harsh reality that children have been enduring in the sheltering tents. The ordeal of all these children here is huge, with daily intense burdens weighing heavily on these young girls, including fetching potable and non-potable water and food from free kitchens,” artist Jihad Hassan, who is the owner of the project, highlighted the reason behind it.

“They bear heavy responsibilities during the current war, leading to mental health deterioration and built-up unreleased negative energy. As I was watching the mental health crisis of my daughters in the team, I made up my mind to establish this team to support them psychologically and clear deep-rooted negative energy,” the man added.

Habiba Abu Oudeh, a trainee, said that she attended the session to vent the negative deep energy and ‘to sing with other girls, which increases my happiness’. “In the tent [where I live] I am grappling with consistent hard tasks, including fetching water and going to bakeries. But here I live my childhood,” she added.

According to the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), children in Gaza have been deeply traumatised, with nearly one in three young children currently malnourished.

The agency further noted that Gazan minors are experiencing a catastrophic mental health crisis with more than one million children suffering from war-related deep psychological trauma, constant fear, and intense sadness. In late January, US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced the launch of Phase II of a 20-point Gaza peace plan. The plan entails shifting from ceasefire to full disarmament of arms, the establishment of technocratic administration and reconstruction.

Article by Viory