VOA新闻杂志2024--Gazan Teen Musician Sings for Children at War

In the war-damaged streets of northern Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp, 15-year-old Youssef Saad rides his bicycle with his musical instrument strapped² on his back. The instrument he carries is called an oud. The sound of the oud is common in much Middle Eastern music.

Saad is bringing his instrument to a day center for children in the camp. There, he plays the oud and sings for children who have suffered through 11 months of war.

Saad says he tries to offer the children a little happiness or a way to temporarily forget about their difficult situation.

"The homes in my city were once full of dreams," Saad said. As he spoke³, he looked at the destroyed buildings in the refugee camp. Before the war, the refugee camp had a large population. "Now, they're gone," he said.

Saad was studying music at the Edward Said National Conservatory⁴ of Music in nearby Gaza City before the war started. Like many other buildings, the conservatory was destroyed during the fighting. Saad and his four siblings⁵ are now living with relatives after his own home was destroyed.

Saad's father, a government worker with the Palestinian Authority, always supported Saad's dream of becoming a musician. Saad now centers his efforts on playing his oud and singing at the Jabalia center for children.

The war started after the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year. Hamas terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 250 hostages from southern Israel, according to Israeli estimates.

Since then, Israel has sought to destroy Hamas in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health ministry⁶, almost 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict. Airstrikes and fighting have destroyed thousands of buildings in Gaza.

"Every house holds a tragedy," Saad said. "Some have lost their mother, others their father, their neighbor, or their friend."

Even with the danger, Saad has a strong desire to continue his work with the children.

"We try to help improve their mental health, even if it means putting myself at risk," he said. "This is my duty to the children."

Saad added that he lives by an expression that carries him through the darkest days: "If you live, live free, or die standing⁷ like trees."

Words in This Story

strap¹ -v. to secure or carry an object using flexible material such as leather or nylon.

sibling(s) - n. one of two or more persons having the same parents; brothers and sisters

1 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

2 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 conservatory   

n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的

参考例句：

• At the conservatory,he learned how to score a musical composition.在音乐学校里，他学会了怎样谱曲。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants.这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

5 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。