700 Gaza Children Resume Swimming in 5 Makeshift Pools After 3 Years of War
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 25
700 Gaza Children Resume Swimming in 5 Makeshift Pools After 3 Years of War
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 25
Summary
Five sea pools built from sandbags and rubble on Gaza’s central coast have brought swimming lessons back, with 700 children attending six weeks of classes after a three-year wartime halt.
Dozens of volunteers led by coach Amjed Tantesh built the pools by hand because heavy machinery is scarce, offering free morning sessions for children whose parents were killed and opening them to all in the afternoon.
Children and organizers say the classes provide rare relief from trauma in a territory where no formal schooling has operated for three years and a March UN survey found 96% of children felt death was imminent.
Tantesh hopes to teach thousands more over the summer if funding arrives, after Israeli attacks since 2023 destroyed earlier pools and killed students and at least six coaches.