Meet Gaza’s first rock band
Members of a rare Gazan rock band say the traditional society has had trouble accepting them.
A passion for Western art and music has found its way into the hearts of five young men from the Gaza Strip. They began learning music and playing instruments when they were children, before they formed what may be the first rock band in the Gaza Strip in 2017.
They faced many obstacles, including Gaza's conservative traditions and customs.
Moamin el-Jaru and his cousin Raji el-Jaru first came up with the idea of forming a rock band back in 2007. They were both passionate about rock music, but it took them 10 years to finally form Osprey V.
Moamin, 32, is a lawyer as well as a bass guitarist and songwriter. He told Al-Monitor, “We were only kids when we first listened to rock music. We immediately liked it and thought that it reflected our living conditions in the Gaza Strip, including wars and the ensuing suffering and pain. Our song ‘Lost and Insecure’ spoke about a friend of mine who planned to travel with his fiancée in search of a better life. But he lost his fiancée in the 2014 war.”
