Palestinian woman plays oud to cheer children amid Israel-Hamas war

Palestinian woman plays oud to cheer children amid Israel-Hamas war

Huddled amid the tents at a camp outside the southern Gaza town of Rafah, volunteer entertainer Roya Hassuna plays the oud for displaced children in a bid to offer respite from the horrors around them.

The children are among thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes by more than two months of relentless Israeli bombardment.

They have been forced to abandon their daily routines and live under Israeli bombardment since Hamas's 7 October attacks on Israel killed about 1,140 people, according to an AFP count based on Israeli figures.

The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory says more than 19,667 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, most of them women or children.