Journalist Amjed Tantesh has spent decades teaching children in Gaza how to swim, but each pool he builds is eventually destroyed by Israeli attacks. He tells Annie Kelly: “I cannot remember the number of pools I have had to build and rebuild.”
Loss and destruction
Israel’s latest war in Gaza has brought far worse devastation. Tantesh’s “most beautiful” pool was reduced to rubble. He has also lost dozens of loved ones, including his brother, who taught him to swim; his mother; several fellow swimming coaches; and dozens of children he had taught over the years.
Rebuilding on the beach
Despite the losses, Tantesh has continued his efforts. He is now rebuilding five pools on the beach, and children have resumed their swimming lessons. The project aims to provide a sense of normalcy amid the conflict.
Impact on childhoods
Chief Middle East correspondent Emma Graham-Harrison reports that years of war and blockade have wrecked the childhoods of hundreds of thousands of young people across the Gaza Strip. Additional reporting comes from Seham Tantesh.
