Young girls in Gaza are turning to boxing to cope with the trauma of war, training in a makeshift ring to release pain and build resilience.
KHAN YUNIS: In a makeshift boxing ring etched into the sand between tents in southern Gaza, a dozen young girls warm up before delivering fierce blows at their coach’s command.
Osama Ayub once ran a boxing club in Gaza City until it was destroyed in a strike along with his home during the war. After finding shelter in Khan Yunis, he put his sporting skills at the service of displaced Gazans.
“We decided to work inside the camp to offer the girls some psychological relief from the war,” Ayub told AFP. He now runs free training sessions for 45 boxers aged between 8 and 19 three times a week.
“The girls have been affected by the war and the bombardments; some have lost their families or loved ones. They feel pain and want to release it, so they have found in boxing a way to express their emotions,” said Ayub.
One of the youngsters, 14-year-old Ghazal Radwan, hopes to become a champion and represent her country. “I practise boxing to develop my character, release pent-up energy and to become a champion in the future,” she told AFP.
In war-devastated Gaza, where construction materials are scarce, Ayub had to improvise to build his small training facility. “We brought wood and built a square boxing ring, but there are no mats or safety measures,” he said.
He called on the international community to support the boxers and help them travel abroad to train. The strict Israeli blockade makes the reconstruction of sports facilities particularly complicated.
Building materials are routinely rejected by Israeli officials. With medicine, food and fuel all in short supply, sports equipment is a low priority for entry into the territory.
Rimas, a 16-year-old boxer, said she and her friends continue “to practise boxing despite the war, the bombardments and the destruction”. “We, the girls who box, hope for your support, that you will bring us gloves and shoes,” she said.
