Gaza Skate Team, a group of Palestinian youngsters, beat deprivation, Israeli blockade through skating
Instructed by two coaches, the Gaza Skate Team are a group of 20 youngsters who hold weekly training sessions and watch videos online to learn and improve their skill.
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Shadows being cast by members of the Gaza Skate Team as they practice rollerblading and skating in Gaza, searching for fun amidst deprivation, on 8 March, 2019. Reuters/Mohammed Salem.
At one of Gaza's beachfront skating parks, the Team skateboard and rollerblade, zipping around curves and jumping over concrete obstacles, delighting onlookers. Reuters/Mohammed Salem.
The team has a total of 20 members, is overseen by two coaches, and holds sessions every week where they practice and watch skating and rollerblading videos on the internet to refine their skill. Reuters/Mohammed Salem.
The team scour markets for second-hand material that they can upcycle since skating equipment is hard to find in Gaza amidst its poverty. According to the World Bank, Gaza's economic collapse has been a result of blockades imposed by Israel and Egypt for security reasons, after the Islamist group Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Reuters/Mohammed Salem.
Gaza Skate Team members, Mohammad Al-Sawalhe, 23, and Mustafa Sarhan, 19, practising in Gaza. Reuters/Mohammed Salem.
Al-Sawalhe, one of the Gaza Skate Team coaches, says they tour the markets looking for second-hand stuff and make it fit for play. Reuters/Mohammed Salem.
Al-Sawalhe encourages members to think about the sport, instead of focusing on the death and destruction surrounding them in Gaza. Reuters/Mohammed Salem.