The beach is the only place children have left to play in Gaza | Focus
Description: Three years of war have destroyed almost every playground in Gaza. For Hala, an orphaned child, a swimming club on the beach offers a rare chance to escape the realities of war.
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The club was set up by Amjed Tantesh, who once hoped to train swimmers for Palestine’s Olympic team. Now, in a pool built from the rubble, he’s offering free lessons to children affected by war. The Guardian follows Hala and her brother Amir as they attend their first lesson, confront their fear of the sea and find a place where they can simply be children again
Read more here ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/25/swimming-classes-resume-gaza-after-three-years-war?CMP=yt_gu
Amjed Tantesh, who features in this film, has also worked as a journalist for the Guardian and other outlets. His niece, Seham Tantesh, reports for the Guardian from Gaza
Chapters:
00:00 - The beach is the only place children have left to play
01:04 - Hala & Amir
03:02 - Swimming Lessons
04:14 - The Swimming Coach
05:45 - Getting ready
06:40 - Carnival day
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#gaza #palestine #israel Close description
Subscribe to The Guardian on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/user/theguardian?sub_confirmation=1
The club was set up by Amjed Tantesh, who once hoped to train swimmers for Palestine’s Olympic team. Now, in a pool built from the rubble, he’s offering free lessons to children affected by war. The Guardian follows Hala and her brother Amir as they attend their first lesson, confront their fear of the sea and find a place where they can simply be children again
Read more here ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/25/swimming-classes-resume-gaza-after-three-years-war?CMP=yt_gu
Amjed Tantesh, who features in this film, has also worked as a journalist for the Guardian and other outlets. His niece, Seham Tantesh, reports for the Guardian from Gaza
Chapters:
00:00 - The beach is the only place children have left to play
01:04 - Hala & Amir
03:02 - Swimming Lessons
04:14 - The Swimming Coach
05:45 - Getting ready
06:40 - Carnival day
The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://support.theguardian.com/
Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition
Website ► https://www.theguardian.com
Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/theguardian
Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/theguardian.com
Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/guardian
The Guardian on YouTube:
Guardian News ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiannews
Guardian Australia ► https://www.youtube.com/@GuardianAustralia
Guardian Football ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianfootball
Football Weekly ► https://www.youtube.com/@FootballWeeklyPodcast
Guardian Sport ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiansport
It's Complicated ► https://www.youtube.com/@ItsComplicated
Guardian Live ► https://www.youtube.com/@GuardianLive
#gaza #palestine #israel Close description