Published on 6/8/2026
Gaza – In the streets of the southern and central Gaza Strip, the young man Ahmed Ayyoush moves with heavy steps, dragging a body exhausted by disability and displacement, insisting on remaining present on the streets and not in the forgotten tents.
A young man, carrying a body suffering from longitudinal hemiplegia on the right side, has been with him since his childhood after he fell from a high place, but he chose to make his voice an extension of his movement.
On his side is a small microphone (amplifier trumpet) that runs on a battery, and inside it contain Qur’anic recordings that he broadcasts as he roams the alleys and corridors of the displaced in the south and center of the Gaza Strip.
Displacement and a harsh life
From the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood east of Gaza City, where he lived before the war, the story began. There, as he says, “the house was completely demolished,” and all that remained of the place was a heavy memory that took him on a long journey of displacement that ended with him in a tent in the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
Displacement was not just a geographical move for him, but rather a complete transformation in the way of life. In his small tent, his day begins in the early hours of the morning, and he goes out to the streets until noon, then returns for a little while before repeating the tour until the afternoon.
Ayyoush added to Al Jazeera: “I walk around all day long. I want to earn a reward from God and be a reason for guiding people.”
Despite his disability, it is estimated that he walks about 15 kilometers every day, between the southern and central areas of the Gaza Strip, relying more on his will than his physical ability, all while carrying a device that needs constant charging, at a time when the tents suffer from electricity outages and difficulty in accessing energy sources.
To obtain reward from God
His idea – as he explains – is not a profession as much as it is a message, adding: “This is how he volunteered for the people, perhaps and perhaps the people will return and repent to our Lord,” considering that broadcasting the Qur’an in the streets is an attempt to instill calm in a space dominated by fear, crowding, and anxiety.
Ayyoush does not pass by without attracting attention, and some of the displaced people ask him to stay a little in front of their tents, and others thank him silently or with short words. For him, this interaction is the motivation to continue, despite the fatigue that brings him back every evening.
The voice of the Qur’an that he broadcasts is not random. Rather, he chooses reciters who are widely popular among people, including Sheikh Haitham Al-Dukhin, in addition to Yasser Al-Dosari and Hazza Al-Balushi. These are recitations that he says people interact with and are humbled to hear on the streets.
Disability and poverty
However, behind this daily scene lies a much harsher personal life. Ahmed has been married for about a year and a half, and lives with his wife in one tent, without a stable source of income.
For his livelihood, he depends on miscellaneous aid from “hospitals” (charitable organizations) or small amounts that may not exceed 20 shekels (one dollar = 3 shekels), disbursed to him from “charitable people” for basic needs and for charging the battery on which he relies for his sole work.
The story of his disability dates back to his early childhood, when he fell from the second floor at the age of 15 months, which led to paralysis on the right side of his body.
Before the war, Ayyoush worked selling simple perfumes on the street, earning a limited income from it, but it was enough to support his daily life at the time. Today, after losing his home and constant displacement, all he has left is this path: a microphone, a battery, and a long road to walk every day.
As sunset approaches, Ayush returns to his tent, exhausted, to sit for a while before thinking about a new day. He does not present himself as a heroic story, and does not ask for anything more than for his voice to be heard as it is: a disabled young man from Gaza, who walks with difficulty, but insists on letting his voice reach those around him, no matter the distance.
