Gaza Conservatory Reopens in 3 Tents After 2-Year Offensive Destroyed Campus
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 5
Gaza Conservatory Reopens in 3 Tents After 2-Year Offensive Destroyed Campus
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 5
Summary
Three tents on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast now house the Gaza branch of Palestine’s national conservatory, reviving music classes after its Gaza City campus, instruments and archives were destroyed in the 2023-2025 war.
72,000-plus Palestinians were killed in the Israeli offensive, and teachers say music has shifted from enrichment to psychological relief for children traumatized by bombardment, displacement and loss.
2.3 million Palestinians still live in a shattered territory where almost no reconstruction has begun, with Israeli restrictions on supplies and stalled ceasefire talks leaving shortages of water, fuel and medicine.
17-year-old oud student Mohammad Khader now teaches newer pupils because demand is high and instructors are scarce, while flute teacher Osama Jahjouh plays on instruments he rebuilt from plastic tubing after losing his own.
With Gaza facing starvation, is rebuilding a music school an act of defiance or a diversion from more critical needs?
Why has only $23 million of $17 billion in pledged aid reached Gaza eight months after a partial ceasefire began?
Music Amid the Rubble: The Edward Said National Conservatory’s Fight for Culture and Healing in Postwar Gaza (2023–2026)
Overview
In mid-2026, the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music reopened in three makeshift tents on al-Mawasi beach, marking a powerful symbol of resilience after the devastating war in Gaza. Despite immense challenges and rubble-filled roads, teachers travel long distances to reach students, who now learn in temporary shelters using salvaged or homemade instruments. This reopening is more than a return to music education—it reflects the community’s determination to preserve artistic expression and provide hope. The conservatory’s efforts highlight how music offers solace and continuity, helping Gaza’s youth and educators rebuild their cultural life amid adversity.