As the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to ravage the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of many Palestinians and injured many others, the soothing sound of music has emerged as a lifeline for some children affected by the conflict.
Awni Jahjouh used to be a music teacher at the Edward Said National Institute of Music in Gaza City. As the conflict intensified, he was displaced from the beach camp to Al-mawasi in Khan Yunis in the southern part of the strip.
In Khan Yunis, he met many displaced children. While some of the children had lost their limbs in the fighting, the remaining had endured the mental torture of the war.
Among those he encountered was the 14-year-old Mohammed Maher Abu Aida. After being forced to flee from Jabalia camp to Nuseirat camp, the school where he sought refuge was bombed.
"The shelling happened suddenly. I was injured and my hand was amputated in the hospital," said the boy.
In response to the overwhelming need for psychological support, Jahjouh began using music as a form of therapy for these children. Faced with a scarcity of resources, he ingeniously created flutes from water hoses.
"I thought about how to use a water hose where it was not something familiar, and I found that it could be used to get the sound of musical characters in a listenable way. So I decided to make holes in the water hose and turn it into a flute played by students. The idea actually worked. This musical instrument is the only one through which the whole world can be addressed with music," he said.
After losing his hand, little Mohammed could no longer play the oud, a Middle Eastern short-neck lute-type instrument as he used to. However, he has adapted and learned to play the violin and flute in Jahjouh's music classes, allowing him to continue his passion for music.
"I have defied my injury and disability and will continue playing the violin. My wish is that the war will end and the crossings will be opened so that I can travel to heal my arm and install a prosthesis so I can play the lute again with both hands and use any other musical instrument," said the child.
While music offers a magical form of relief, it is merely a temporary remedy. For many, lasting health and well-being can only be achieved through a cessation of hostilities.
"Life must go on. I hope that the war will end, the situation will calm down and we will once again rebuild our lives anew," Jahjouh said.
The Gaza-based health authorities said on Tuesday that the death toll of Palestinians from Israel's ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip had risen to 41,965, with more than 97,500 others injured.
Sound of music offers relief for displaced children in Gaza
