GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In the densely populated neighborhood of Shajaiya in eastern Gaza City, several children gathered in front of the Gaza Circus School as they watched trainers teach circus arts to children. Only a few recreational areas exist in the Gaza Strip, and the school, which is the second of its kind in Gaza, is struggling to get a local license and develop its activities.
Ever since he was a child, Ahmed Mushtaha, 29, has been passionate about circus arts, and since his graduation from the department of physical education at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza in 2008, he has been seeking to create a local team that teaches circus arts to children. In 2011, the Belgian Al-Jabal Foundation offered circus arts training to 15 young amateurs, including Mushtaha, to promote the establishment of a circus school in Gaza.