04:26Wassim Muqat is a young gymnast, who like any other 11-year-old boy yearns for stardom - but unlike any other, does so in the shadow of the Gaza war.
“My dream is to represent Palestine in international tournaments and bring…pride to my country," he said. "I wanted to travel to participate in talent shows outside of Palestine, to fulfil my dream and my country's dream. But everything was postponed because of the war."
Footage from Tuesday show him and his friends training with his father among the rubble of bombed-out buildings in the Khan Younis camp, doing handstands, springs and other spectacular acrobatic feats.
"It's not easy to lose everything," the youngster admitted, touching on some of the darker parts of his life. "I’ve lost my brother, my sister, my aunt, and my cousin, and that is a big loss. I don't want to lose more."
"God willing, the war will end," he added. "Look at our hands... wounds from the rubble.”
His dad, Hub Eddine Muqat, said he started training his son four years ago, with Wasim winning the Palestine Gymnastics Championship - but then he noticed others wanting to join and began helping them too.
"I found 10 children practising with Wasim, now there are 70. Parents started sending their children to train with him, and every day I see new children signing up for training," he added.
Ihab Muqat added that "playing on the rubble makes me feel like I'm releasing a lot of psychological energy".
"If I stop playing, I don’t feel okay. I play any way I can, whether on the rubble or in the streets, just to release this energy that I carry in my heart," he said.
The children have been living a life under fire for nearly a year with no sign of an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict - but with each other for inspiration, motivation and a shared passion for gymnastics, the hardships of daily life have become just a little more bearable.
Bending so they don't break - Young gymnast inspires children of Gaza
Wassim Muqat is a young gymnast, who like any other 11-year-old boy yearns for stardom - but unlike any other, does so in the shadow of the Gaza war.
“My dream is to represent Palestine in international tournaments and bring…pride to my country," he said. "I wanted to travel to participate in talent shows outside of Palestine, to fulfil my dream and my country's dream. But everything was postponed because of the war."
Footage from Tuesday show him and his friends training with his father among the rubble of bombed-out buildings in the Khan Younis camp, doing handstands, springs and other spectacular acrobatic feats.
"It's not easy to lose everything," the youngster admitted, touching on some of the darker parts of his life. "I’ve lost my brother, my sister, my aunt, and my cousin, and that is a big loss. I don't want to lose more."
"God willing, the war will end," he added. "Look at our hands... wounds from the rubble.”
His dad, Hub Eddine Muqat, said he started training his son four years ago, with Wasim winning the Palestine Gymnastics Championship - but then he noticed others wanting to join and began helping them too.
"I found 10 children practising with Wasim, now there are 70. Parents started sending their children to train with him, and every day I see new children signing up for training," he added.
Ihab Muqat added that "playing on the rubble makes me feel like I'm releasing a lot of psychological energy".
"If I stop playing, I don’t feel okay. I play any way I can, whether on the rubble or in the streets, just to release this energy that I carry in my heart," he said.
The children have been living a life under fire for nearly a year with no sign of an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict - but with each other for inspiration, motivation and a shared passion for gymnastics, the hardships of daily life have become just a little more bearable.
Wassim Muqat is a young gymnast, who like any other 11-year-old boy yearns for stardom - but unlike any other, does so in the shadow of the Gaza war.
“My dream is to represent Palestine in international tournaments and bring…pride to my country," he said. "I wanted to travel to participate in talent shows outside of Palestine, to fulfil my dream and my country's dream. But everything was postponed because of the war."
Footage from Tuesday show him and his friends training with his father among the rubble of bombed-out buildings in the Khan Younis camp, doing handstands, springs and other spectacular acrobatic feats.
"It's not easy to lose everything," the youngster admitted, touching on some of the darker parts of his life. "I’ve lost my brother, my sister, my aunt, and my cousin, and that is a big loss. I don't want to lose more."
"God willing, the war will end," he added. "Look at our hands... wounds from the rubble.”
His dad, Hub Eddine Muqat, said he started training his son four years ago, with Wasim winning the Palestine Gymnastics Championship - but then he noticed others wanting to join and began helping them too.
"I found 10 children practising with Wasim, now there are 70. Parents started sending their children to train with him, and every day I see new children signing up for training," he added.
Ihab Muqat added that "playing on the rubble makes me feel like I'm releasing a lot of psychological energy".
"If I stop playing, I don’t feel okay. I play any way I can, whether on the rubble or in the streets, just to release this energy that I carry in my heart," he said.
The children have been living a life under fire for nearly a year with no sign of an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict - but with each other for inspiration, motivation and a shared passion for gymnastics, the hardships of daily life have become just a little more bearable.