Gaza’s musicians reopen bomb-shattered conservatory in tents amid ongoing hardship

What happened

The Guardian Gaza reports that the Gaza branch of Palestine’s national conservatory has reopened music classes in three tents after its buildings and instruments were destroyed during the Israeli offensive from 2023 to 2025. Former employees, including musician and teacher Ahmed Abu Amsha, are restarting programmes focused now on psychological relief amid trauma rather than formal structured education.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. The conservatory’s physical facilities were largely destroyed by Israeli strikes, as were most of its instruments and archives. The conflict resulted in over 72,000 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, while hostilities continue with at least a thousand killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began nine months ago. These figures come from the same Guardian Gaza source. The war triggered by Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel led to mass displacement, with almost all teachers and students displaced.

Teachers like Abu Amsha are now working under harsh conditions, navigating damaged roads and severe resource shortages to provide music education. Students such as 17-year-old oud player Mohammad Khader, displaced multiple times, emphasize the importance of music as emotional support during ongoing hardship. Resources are limited, restricting instruction largely to choirs and practical training rather than comprehensive music education.

Known from the source

• The Gaza branch of Palestine’s national conservatory was destroyed during the Israeli offensive between 2023 and 2025.
• Most instruments and the conservatory's archives were destroyed.
• The conservatory has resumed teaching classes in three tents.
• Ahmed Abu Amsha is a musician and teacher helping to rebuild the conservatory’s programmes.
• The war resulted in more than 72,000 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children, according to The Guardian Gaza.

What remains unclear

The conservatory, named after Edward Said and with main offices in the West Bank, was previously a major cultural institution in Gaza, offering broad musical training and opportunities for students to perform internationally and locally. Israeli exit permits were sometimes granted for the best students to travel with the Palestine Youth Orchestra, but the war’s destruction and current restrictions have curtailed these activities.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Exact current casualty numbers and death tolls including since the ceasefire remain unverified beyond the Guardian Gaza report. Status of reconstruction and exact details of Israeli restrictions on goods entering Gaza. Verification of displacement scope and numbers among conservatory teachers and students.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: The Guardian Gaza. Open the source.