Jawaher al-Aqraa says it will be a “miracle” if she survives Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, but in the meantime, she is singing to “block out” the roar of fighter jets over the Palestinian enclave.

The 28-year-old English teacher is one of hundreds of thousands of Gazans who have fled or lost their homes as Israel’s air raids have intensified since the October 7 Hamas attacks.

Now she is with her brother in the Deir al-Balah refugee camp where thousands of families live in fear of air strikes.

“I have survived wars and a million escalations,” she said.

“With this war, I have the impression that all I do is await my turn to die. If I survive, it will be a miracle.”

AFP first spoke with Aqraa last year as part of a project on young people across the Middle East and how they use culture to counter crisis.

She said music is her “escape route” from the daily trials faced by the 2.4 million inhabitants of the coastal enclave blockaded by Israel and Egypt.

“Sometimes I try to block out the noise of the shelling and drones by singing, but the strikes become louder so I stop,” she said.

“I recite the shahada (the profession of faith) and then I start again.”

‘Mental balance’

Aqraa said the scenes she has witnessed in Gaza “have filled me with anger”.

“All I can do is sing to express my feelings and those of people who have lost their families and their homes. My mental balance comes from music and singing.”

The young woman said three of her friends had been killed in Israeli air strikes.

“This war cannot be described with words. It cannot be compared to what happened before.”

Surrounded by applauding children and her brother, Aqraa plays the violin and sings a song in English composed by friends.

“I am invincible, unbreakable, unstoppable. They knock me down and I get up again,” she sang. “I was born to be free. I am Palestinian.”

Speaking afterwards, she said she wanted to travel and sing to “spread the Palestinian cause”.

“The bombing has not affected my determination,” she said.

Header image: Gaza Strip English teacher Jawaher al-Aqraa says she plays her violin to “block out” the roar of Israeli fighter jets flying bombing runs over the besieged Palestinian enclave. — AFP