STORY: Children in the Gaza Strip’s Nuseirat camp show off their moves amid the rubble of a devastating war.
They’re part of Camp Breakers, a breakdance academy that continues to operate despite nearly two years of an Israeli onslaught that has displaced more than two million residents.
Among them is 14-year-old Lynn Al-Khor.
She says dance offers a respite from the atmosphere of war.
“I feel different, I feel so much better. When I come to the center, I feel so happy. I finish everything I need to do in the morning, and I prepare myself and head to the center.”
Fayez al-Siraj is on the academy’s management team. He says the benefits of the program have to be balanced with the inherent dangers of bringing kids together inside a war zone.
“We are working with children. You are responsible for a lot of children who you need to deal with, especially that the targeting is random. So every time, every second you want to organize an activity, you are scared for the safety of the souls who are with you.”
On Thursday, Gaza health authorities said Israeli forces had killed at least 28 people, most of them in Gaza City.
According to the local health officials, over 63,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the war started in October 2023.
Returning to her tent after practice, Lynn Al-Khor helps her family with chores.
Her mother said the academy has become a lifeline to her teenage daughter, giving her a break from the drumbeat of death and dispossession.
Coach Ahmad al-Awadi said the goal of center was simple:
“That our children deserve to live, our children deserve to play safely, our children deserve to live like every other child in the world, and in the end all we hope for is that this war ends and that we stay safe”.
