GAZA – Braving the threat of airstrikes, 15-year-old Youssef Saad, a talented oud player, rides through the war-torn streets of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, offering music as a rare source of comfort for children living through the horrors of the ongoing conflict.
With his instrument strapped to his back, Saad performs for traumatized children, hoping to provide a small measure of joy and relief amid the chaos.
“The homes in my city were once full of dreams. Now, they’re gone,” Saad reflects, gazing at the rubble surrounding him in the devastated urban camp.
Before the conflict intensified, Saad was a student at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Gaza City, which has since been destroyed. Now living with relatives after his own home was reduced to ruins, Saad, one of five siblings, spends his days at a local day center playing for children affected by the war.
Despite the dangerous environment, he remains focused on helping the children recover emotionally. “We try to help improve their mental health, even if it means putting myself at risk,” Saad said. “This is my duty to the children.”
Saad also holds onto hope for the future: “We, the children of Palestine, strive to stay resilient, even in the face of genocide.”
His personal motto, which has kept him going, is simple yet powerful: “If you live, live free, or die standing like trees.”