Editor’s Note: Salsabeel AbuLoghod wrote this essay about alternative music making in Gaza prior to the events of October 7 and their aftermath. We are publishing her original story here, with an update she also wrote about the situation for musicians now.

In August 2023, I spoke with Mohammed Hasan Zohud, a 32-year-old musician, singer, songwriter, music producer‎‏, music distributor, sound engineer, guitarist, and pianist, who goes by his surname, Zohud. He is virtually the only artist in Gaza creating and performing alternative music. His music is available to the world through several internet sites.

Zohud let me know right away how important music is to him: “Music is my life.”

That does not mean it has been easy. Once he was able to buy a guitar, Zohud learned to play it by watching YouTube videos. By 2012 his guitar skills were good enough for him to perform. That’s when he formed Typo, Gaza’s first rock band. In a review of the band published in Al Jazeera in 2019, reporter Isra Namey wrote:

Typo’s music is inspired by everyday life in Gaza, a place where rock music is uncommon. This is what inspired their name – the fact that their music might initially be viewed as an ‘error’ within mainstream society.

“This kind of music is still alien to the Palestinian community. This is why we had to play a trick, and mix the rock music with Oriental drumbeats so that it can appeal to the Palestinians’ ears,” Zohud said.

Typo disbanded in 2019 after the economic situation in Gaza, and restrictions on the band’s musical expression and ability to tour, forced most band members to leave Gaza. Rather than form a new band, Zohud decided to go solo and establish his own studio where he could record and distribute his music. “I control the entire process from A to Z,” he told me.

Challenges for musicians

As with all musicians in Gaza, Zohud has had to overcome major challenges. According to Zohud, “Production is difficult. It would not have been possible for me to produce anything if I didn’t run my own studio.” Because there are so few music production companies in Gaza, many musicians find it difficult to find one who understands their mood and will produce their music the way they want.

A second challenge has been working with Gazan security. Musicians must obtain permits to perform, either in concert halls or at roof-top parties. Before granting a permit, security agents examine playlists and delete songs based solely on the titles.

The scrutiny does not end there. Security agents attend every concert and party and listen to every song. If they don’t like a song’s message, they can end the performance. Zohud and other musicians often censor themselves rather than risk having their playlists censored and concerts disrupted.

Zohud lamented how security restrictions impact his music. “I cannot record my own concerts or shoot video clips in my country, because of security issues. In September, I’ll release a love song that needs a video clip, but I won’t be able to film it in Gaza, because security agents do not allow love scenes in videos.”

Security agents are even more disruptive at indoor concerts because they require the audience to remain silent. They will even stop a concert if they think applause may be bothering people living in the neighborhood.

A third challenge is that it is difficult for musicians to perform outside of Gaza. As Zohud explained, “After the band released its first album in 2016, we received invitations to perform in the West Bank, Jordan, and Europe. We couldn’t do any of those concert tours because Israel barred us from leaving through the Erez Crossing. This has caused me to lose many opportunities and slowed down my development as an artist.

“An artist needs to travel to expand his audience, interact with new musicians and get more feedback. I have been deprived of all this. While it is now possible to leave Gaza through the Rafah Crossing, that doesn’t help me since most of my opportunities come from the West Bank or Europe, which I can only access through the Erez Crossing. One month I lost three opportunities to perform in the West Bank because of this.”

Finally, there is the lack of resources. Many Gazans are unemployed and live on whatever money they receive from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency(UNRWA); they are understandably more concerned with having enough money to feed their families than in giving them music lessons. Gazans who want to give their children a music education have few places to turn. While it is possible to buy musical instruments in Gaza, few people can afford them. There are also not many places that offer music lessons.

Challenges for music audiences

While Gazans have access to many kinds of recorded music, they have few opportunities to hear music performed live by groups from other countries, since Israel routinely prevents groups from entering Gaza.

One exception was the 2012 concert by the Egyptian band, Eskenderella. More recently, the Edward Said Foundation tried to bring Le Trio Jourban, a Palestinian group from Nazareth, to Gaza. Predictably, Israel prevented the concert from happening.

Gazan musicians also have to deal with a common view that it is sinful to perform music or even listen to it. Zohud remembers that in 2009, people would often make negative comments when they saw him walking down the street carrying his guitar.

That view began to change in 2013 when Muhammad Assaf, a Palestinian singer from Gaza, became an international pop star after winning the second season of the Egyptian television show, Arab Idol. After that, more Gazans became interested in giving their children a music education.

Unfortunately, this change did not extend to Gazan women and girls who want to develop their musical talents. They still struggle with the common belief that they should not sing or play music, and certainly not in public or for men who are not members of their family. This societal pressure continues to make it difficult for untold numbers of women and girls, myself included, to develop our musical talents.

Despite these challenges, Zohud is buoyed by the feedback he receives from listeners, including his family. “My son and daughter know all my music and have memorized all my songs, which gives me great joy,” he said. “I was especially moved by a video someone sent me of a young child lip syncing one of my songs and strumming what looks like a Lego guitar. Knowing how much my music moves people is enough for me.”

A bright spot in the Gazan music scene

One bright spot in the Gazan music scene is the Ministry of Culture. With appropriate limits set by the government, the Ministry supports more than 150 cultural institutions in the fields of fine art, theater, film, and music.

I learned about the ways the Ministry provides support for local musicians from Atef Muhammad Askoul, director general of arts, heritage, and exhibitions at the Ministry’s General Authority for Culture and Youth. “While we don’t have a direct place for music in the Ministry of Culture, we support it in other ways,” he said. “For example, we work with the Edward Said Foundation, the Al-Sununu for Culture and Arts Association, and the Palestine Music Institute, among others, to help them navigate bureaucratic obstacles that might otherwise impede their activities.”

The Ministry also helps music institutions obtain necessary licenses and makes available on loan musical instruments, including a grand piano donated by Japan. It helps individual musicians by protecting their intellectual and creative rights to their music and by supporting music festivals, concerts, and other events within Gaza.

Notwithstanding these difficulties, I have faith that one day, all people in Gaza, including females, will have the opportunity to study music, that more musicians in Gaza will find ways to create their music, and that the people of Gaza will have more and more opportunities to be uplifted by music.

Update

Early in the war, Zohud and his family abandoned their home and belongings and fled south to Rafah, where they hoped they would be safe.

After the Israeli military destroyed their home, Zohud’s studio, and everything they owned, including Zohud’s musical instruments, his family used the money they had been saving for their children’s future, along with whatever money they could borrow from friends, to secure the permits they needed to travel to Egypt. They now live in Cairo.

While Zohud and his family are safe, life in Egypt has not been easy for them. Egyptian law prevents them from opening a bank account, receiving money from outside of Egypt, taking jobs, enrolling their children in school, or buying health insurance, among other things. Fortunately, Zohud has been able to earn money by performing at private parties with a rented guitar.

Like all other governmental agencies, the Ministry of Culture no longer functions. Its offices stand empty, looted of anything of value.

While few people in Gaza have time for anything beyond the daily struggle to survive, music is still important to me. I am grateful for the moments my internet signal is strong enough to bring some music into my life.