In Gaza, the sounds of war dominate daily life. Bursts of gunfire and explosions on the ground and the relentless buzz of Israeli drones above. One teacher is finding a way to turn that soundscape into a way to cope with the trauma.

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Middle East Conflict

In Gaza, the persistent sound of drones has become an inescapable part of daily life, contributing to ongoing psychological distress among residents. For over 25 years, this noise has served not only as surveillance but also as a form of psychological warfare intended to unnerve and break down the population.

Music teacher Ahmed has responded by encouraging children to transform the drone's buzz into music, turning a source of torment into creative expression. By recording and sharing their songs online, Ahmed and his students aim to reclaim their environment and resist the psychological impact of war through art and community.

The sound of war: Using music as resistance to cope with trauma

In Gaza, there is no escape from the reality of war. If you escape this, or survive this, you still can't escape this. Listen to this. That sound is everywhere, and it's not new, and it didn't start on October 7th. Gaza has lived under this constant drone buzz for more than 25 years. For many, it's unbearable. It's not just surveillance. It's psychological warfare. A noise meant to unnerve, to break people down. But the music teacher, Ahmed, has taken what was meant to torment, and turned it into a song. Yeah, this idea comes from what we live, what we suffer here. You know, the most terrible thing is drones. It has a buzzing sound, like it makes your mind blow. So, when you have activity here, the kids ask me, Mr, we are tired from the annoying sound. I told them, no, we have to sing it. We have to turn it into something good. And we sing, it was in A key. We love the idea, and we take the phone, and take a video, and post it on Instagram. The idea from this video song, is to turn the sound of the war to music, and mix it, and make it something beautiful. This is not about art. It's about refusal. Refusal to live. A machine built to watch and intimidate, define what it means to live here. Ibrahim Khalili, Al Jazeera, Gaza City, Palestine. Al Jazeera, Palestine.

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The sound of war: Using music as resistance to cope with trauma

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