Gazan teen musician found new life in playing his oud for children amid war, watch video

Gazan teen musician found new life in playing his oud for children amid war, watch video

Amid airstrikes and bombings, a Gazan teenager tries to keep the spirit of living alive in northern Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp with his instrument oud and songs.

Youssef Saad, 15, whose musical future has been upended, has found new life in playing his oud for children, offering a distraction or bringing smiles to their faces.

"The homes in my city were once full of dreams," Saad said while gazing over the rubbles of a refugee camp that was once heavily populated and now it is nothing but just cemented pieces.

"Now, they're gone," he says.

Despite the destruction of his own home and the uncertain future of his musical education, Saad remains committed to playing his oud and singing for traumatized children at a local day centre.

If the war didn't happened then Saad would be continuing his study at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music and may be could have a bright future in the singing industry but now the building has been reduced to ruins in the war.

Now, living with relatives after his own home was destroyed, he is one of five siblings whose futures have been upended.

His father, a government employee with the Palestinian Authority, always supported Saad's dream of becoming a musician. But now, he spends his days at a Jabalia day centre, playing his oud and singing for children traumatized by war.

The latest round of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7 when Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist group, attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of approximately 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources.

In response, Israel launched an assault on Hamas-governed Gaza, which has claimed the lives of more than 40,800 Palestinians, as reported by the Hamas-run health ministry. The besieged enclave has been left in ruins, with nearly the entire population displaced.

Saad, now living with relatives, is one of five siblings whose lives have been upended by the conflict. His father, a Palestinian Authority government employee, had always supported Saad's musical aspirations.

"Every house holds a tragedy," Saad said. "Some have lost their mother, others their father, their neighbour, or their friend."

Despite the dangers and the tragedy that surrounds him, Saad remains resolute in his mission to bring hope and comfort to the children of Gaza through his music.