Seaside Screen Brings Magic of Movies to Gaza Years after Cinemas Closed

Palestinian children watch a movie at a pop-up open-air cinema at the beach in Gaza City on July 28, 2023; there are no movie theaters in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Mohammed ABED / AFP)
Palestinian children watch a movie at a pop-up open-air cinema at the beach in Gaza City on July 28, 2023; there are no movie theaters in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Mohammed ABED / AFP)
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Seaside Screen Brings Magic of Movies to Gaza Years after Cinemas Closed

Palestinian children watch a movie at a pop-up open-air cinema at the beach in Gaza City on July 28, 2023; there are no movie theaters in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Mohammed ABED / AFP)
Palestinian children watch a movie at a pop-up open-air cinema at the beach in Gaza City on July 28, 2023; there are no movie theaters in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Mohammed ABED / AFP)

With car tyres, rocks and mounds of sand as seats, Palestinians of all ages have been enjoying a rare trip to the movies at a big-screen event on the Gaza beachfront.
The open-air show - with a playlist including the animated children's comedy "Ferdinand" - was for many viewers a first experience of a projected film since the impoverished enclave's last cinema closed more than three decades ago, Reuters said.
Hosted by "The Sea is Ours" cafe, the screenings were designed to promote issues of culture and history approved by the conservative Hamas government.
They left some in the audience longing for more.
"I hope one day there will be a cinema, so I can go to the cinema and eat popcorn," said 13-year-old Mohammad Zidan as other children lolled in the sand, giggling at the cartoon.
Cinema once flourished in Gaza, with Palestinians flocking to see Arab, Western and Asian films, but the movie houses were torched in the First Intifada in 1987 and then burned down again in 1996 during a wave of internal violence.
The last cinema, long abandoned, is now a haven for bats.
While Gazans have been able to go to movie screenings which are held from time to time at theaters and other venues, such a full bill of films, being shown over several weeks at the venue, is a rare treat.
"We can get movies on mobile phones, but this is something new and is nice," said 15-year-old Hadeel Hejji.
Ali Mhana, 35, the cafe owner and local playwright, said he had never been to a regular cinema.
"At the sea, you don't need to look for an audience, the sea has its own. People are here all the time, including children, who get attracted by the sound and image and come to watch the movies," Mhana said.



Spain Public Broadcaster Calls for ‘Debate’ over Israel’s Eurovision Participation

Yuval Raphael. (AP)
Yuval Raphael. (AP)
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Spain Public Broadcaster Calls for ‘Debate’ over Israel’s Eurovision Participation

Yuval Raphael. (AP)
Yuval Raphael. (AP)

Spain's public broadcaster said on Friday it has called for a "debate" over Israel's participation in this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland due to "concerns" over the situation in war-torn Gaza.

RTVE has sent a letter to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which manages the event, "requesting a debate on the participation of Israeli public television (KAN)" in the contest, the Spanish public broadcaster said in a statement.

The Swiss city of Basel will host the glitzy annual extravaganza -- one of the world's biggest live television events which involves countries from Europe to Australia -- at the St. Jakobshalle indoor arena, with the semi-finals on May 13 and 15, and the final on May 17.

Public broadcasters of participating nations select the candidate which will represent them, so the absence of KAN would mean there is no Israeli performer at this year's event.

RTVE said it "reiterates its support" for Eurovision "but also acknowledges the concerns that the situation in Gaza and the participation of KAN public television are raising within Spanish civil society".

"It would be appropriate for the EBU to recognize the existence of this debate and provide a forum for discussion between EBU member broadcasters on the participation of Israeli public television," the statement added.

- October 7 survivor -

Thousands protested at last year's contest in the Swedish city of Malmo against Israel's participation against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Israeli competitor Eden Golan had to change her lyrics over their apparent references to the deadly Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war.

A survivor of that attack will represent Israel in Basel.

When Hamas gunmen killed more than 370 people at the Nova music festival, Yuval Raphael survived by hiding under a pile of bodies. She said she would be ready to face the kind of hostility Golan did.

Finland's public broadcaster Yle received two petitions last month demanding it push for Israel to be banned from the contest due to the war in Gaza.

One was signed by more than 500 music and culture industry professionals, while a public petition was signed by over 10,000 people.

Israel has won the contest four times, most recently in Lisbon in 2018.

On October 7, 2023, Palestinian gunmen launched a cross-border attack in Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the capture of 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

Israel's ensuing bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 51,000 people in the territory, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The UN has deemed its figures generally reliable.