Gaza children turn rubble into makeshift volleyball court.

SHOTLIST GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE (SEPT. 14, 2026) 1. DRONE SHOT OF DESTROYED AND HEAVILY DAMAGED BUILDINGS ALONG STREET AS CHILDREN PLAY VOLLEYBALL ON MAKESHIFT COURT 2. VARIOUS TOP SHOTS OF CHILDREN PLAYING VOLLEYBALL ON MAKESHIFT COURT 3. VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING VOLLEYBALL 4. GIRLS WATCHING CHILDREN PLAY VOLLEYBALL (2 SHOTS) 5. VARIOUS OF STONES LINED UP TO MARK BOUNDARIES OF MAKESHIFT VOLLEYBALL COURT AS CHILDREN PLAY 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ISMAIL AL-GHUBEIN, SAYING: “Children come here from these shelters to play. We cannot really call this place a playground, although it was used as one before the war.” 7. WHITE FLASH 8. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ISMAIL AL-GHUBEIN, SAYING: “The children tried to create something out of nothing. They collected some stones and two pieces of wire, tied them together, and tried to release their negative energy by playing volleyball. They created something from nothing.” 9. WHITE FLASH 10. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ISMAIL AL-GHUBEIN, SAYING: “After watching football during the World Cup, and now with football matches returning, including the Spanish league and European competitions, the children have become more enthusiastic and want to release their energy. Despite all the suffering the Gaza Strip has endured, children leave the displacement camps, including the Italian shelter camp, and come to play in this area.” 11. WHITE FLASH 12. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ISMAIL AL-GHUBEIN, SAYING: “We truly want to deliver a message, and we hope this message will be heard. We want playgrounds to be provided for our children and for even the most basic things to be brought in so that the children can play and live a more normal life. We have some available open spaces. We hope they can provide us with equipment for the children to play with, as well as artificial turf pitches or other playgrounds, so the children can play and enjoy themselves.” 13. WHITE FLASH 14. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ISMAIL AL-GHUBEIN, SAYING: “After all the playgrounds were demolished, the children were forced to use this old playground and continue playing here.” 15. WHITE FLASH 16. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ISMAIL AL-GHUBEIN, SAYING: “You know and can see that, after all this suffering, destruction and bombardment, the children have been deeply traumatized. To put it plainly, things no longer seem to matter to them. They no longer make a difference to them. But we still have hope.” 17. WHITE FLASH 18. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ISMAIL AL-GHUBEIN, SAYING: “This is one of the simplest ways to help children release the negative energy they carry by playing and expressing themselves. This playground is only about eight meters long. As you can see, each side is less than four meters by four meters. However, there is a large open space here. We hope that a donor from abroad, or any organization, can help us build a playground for children here or somewhere else. There are many open spaces across Gaza, and we hope they can be made available for children.” 19. VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING VOLLEYBALL GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE - SEPT. 14: Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip have turned a small area surrounded by rubble into a makeshift volleyball court, seeking moments of recreation amid destruction and difficult living conditions. In Gaza City's Al-Nasr neighborhood, children cleared stones and debris near the Italian Tower on Nasr Street, which was destroyed in Israeli attacks, and marked out a small playing area among the ruins. Using stones to define the boundaries and pieces of wire as a net, the children play volleyball in the improvised court, trying to find some relief from the psychological effects of the war. Gaza resident Ismail Al-Ghubein told Anadolu on Sept. 14 that the children created the court using materials they found among the rubble of destroyed buildings. "Children come here from the shelters to play. We cannot really call this place a playground, although it was used as one before the war," Al-Ghubein said. "The children tried to create something out of nothing. They collected some stones and two pieces of wire, tied them together and tried to release their negative energy by playing volleyball," he added. Al-Ghubein said children from nearby displacement shelters regularly come to the area to play despite the limited space and lack of proper sports facilities. He called for organizations and donors to help establish safe recreational areas for children in Gaza, saying even basic equipment and artificial turf pitches could provide them with places to play. "This playground is only about eight meters long. There is a large open space here, and we hope that a donor or an organization can help us build a playground for children," he said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a Sept. 11 report that humanitarian conditions in Gaza remained dire, with Israeli airstrikes and other attacks co