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It’s a rare moment of respite and catharsis amid the harsh
realities of life in the Gaza Strip. The children, some wearing
sliders on their feet, dance next to mangled metal rods jutting
out from a mound of rubble and shattered concrete. The school
that trains them is in the Nuseirat refugee camp, a crowded,
built-up camp in central Gaza dating back to the 1948
Arab-Israeli war.
“I come to this center because I discovered that I have a talent
for breakdancing, and I also come here to release the negative
energy inside me and to enjoy,” said Habiba Abu Khater, one of
the children from around five to 14 years old who train at the
school. She said she's been attending for four years and is
happy about her progress after starting from scratch.
Instructor Fayez Saraj said the school, established in the camp
in 2004, helps children build their self confidence and improve
their mental health through break dance, gymnastics, and
contemporary dance.
The movements "help the child with psychological release,
especially from the difficult situations we experienced during
the years of war," he said. “We have a significant role in …
moving them from an atmosphere of depression and frustration to
one of joy.”
Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 72,600
Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, caused
widespread destruction and displaced most of the territory’s
residents.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains
detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by
U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a
breakdown of civilians and militants.
Israel launched the offensive after Hamas-led militants killed
some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251
hostage in their attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
While the heaviest fighting has mostly subsided since a fragile
ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, deadly Israeli strikes have
repeatedly disrupted the truce. Hamas and Israel have accused
each other of violating the ceasefire. Palestinians in Gaza are
still contending with myriad daily struggles.
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Associated Press writer Mariam Fam in Winter Park, Florida,
contributed to this report.
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