Published on 6/22/2026
Despite her great suffering, the displacement of her family 15 times, the demolition of their home, and their living in a tent lacking the most basic necessities of life, the Palestinian child Hayat Abu Amsha clings to hope and life, and expresses this through her passion for learning to play music.
A video clip of the girl holding the violin and playing in her own style in front of a tent in the Gaza Strip was widely circulated, and the video received very wide interaction on social media platforms.
The girl’s father, Eid Moin Abu Amsha, a music instructor at Palestinian universities and a specialist in information technology and multimedia, spoke to Al Jazeera Net about his child, Hayat, who is only 4 years old.
The girl’s father explains that the family was displaced from their primary home in Beit Hanoun and recently settled in a tent in the Zawaida area on the shore of the Gaza Sea.
The girl took her first steps in learning the violin with the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, but the absence of appropriate tools represents a major obstacle, according to her father, who explained that the violin currently available with her in the tent is large and not suitable for her young age.
Despite these difficult circumstances, and the absence of water, electricity, and basic services on the beach, the girl did not lose her joy and passion for music.
Hayat did not enjoy her basic rights like other children. She has not yet entered kindergarten or school due to the ongoing war conditions.
When asked about her dreams, she expressed, with the innocence of children, simple wishes that were far-fetched in light of the current reality, as she wished to see a large kindergarten containing toys and swings, to have a small car for herself and another for her father, and to ride a plane.
Hayat has a small, broken and damaged violin, and she pesters her father every day to fix it or bring spare parts so she can play it constantly.
Hayat is not the only talent in this displaced family. Rather, she belongs to a family that loves music. Her sister Yara (13 years old) also plays the violin and has reached the third stage, and her brother Yazan (12 years old) plays the oud.
Video clips of her brother Mueen playing the guitar and singing the song “We Will Stay Here,” the melody of life, also spread, as an expression of adherence to the land and return to northern Gaza.
