Parkour is on the rise in Gaza for several years now, and I already wrote about the beauty and freedom it brings to Palestinians (another great example is the story of a surf club in Gaza). It is all about breaking from conventional paths in life and finding your own. As Abdullah Enshasy, who co-founded the Gaza parkour team with Mohammed Aljkhbeer, explains it:
“There is a big relationship between parkour and barriers that we’re surrounded by in the Gaza strip. There’s the blockade, walls are everywhere. …parkour gives us a sense of freedom and allows us to endure these conditions without getting deeply depressed.”
And now, after Israel’s nearly two-month assault over the summer, parkour is blooming in Gaza again. These photos show Palestinian kids doing parkour in a heavily battered Shuja’iyya neighbourhood in Gaza.
//all images © Mohammed Salem / Reuters//
For more on parkour in Gaza, see Gaza Parkour and Free Running facebook page.