Gaza, February 15 A women’s boxing club in Gaza, the first project of its kind in the strip, is preparing Palestinian girls and women to one day compete internationally, challenging conservative and patriarchal values in the gated enclave ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas.
After years of working for her, a few months ago a group of boxing enthusiasts founded the Palestinian Women’s Boxing Center, which already has dozens of girls and young people between the ages of 8 and 29 who train regularly. in his gym at Al Deportivo. Club Mashtal, in the capital Gaza.
There, they break with the preconceived idea that the sport is only for men, and they also challenge the conventions, roles and gender stereotypes that still prevail among a large part of Gazans.
A PLANTED SEED
“Our community traditions force women to stay away from many types of sports under the pretext that they are for men,” but “now we have planted the seed of women’s boxing in Gaza,” he said. Osama Ayoub, co-founder, at EFE. .of the club and trainer of the boxers.
This 39-year-old Gazaoui had already considered the project when he participated as a boxer in tournaments in Algeria, Egypt, South Korea or Jordan, and since 2017 he began training girls on the beach and public parks on the Strip.
In international competitions, she witnessed “the fantastic performance of Arab women of different ages” and was inspired to think of a Palestinian model where women would be included.
When Ayoub shared his idea with friends and colleagues, none of them thought it was feasible, as they live in a community where people tend to have very conservative ideas about women, he explains. -he.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
As the project progresses, the trainer says many people are changing their minds about women’s boxing when they see the positive effects on athletes’ moods.
“I love this sport because it gives us confidence and teaches us how to defend ourselves,” Hala Ayoub, 18, told EFE.
Her goal, she adds, is to “show everyone” in the ring that the sport is “for both men and women” and that “every woman has the right to play the sport she loves. and achieve its ambitions.
“I aspire to participate in international tournaments, to raise the Palestinian flag and for society to be proud of us,” she said.
For Jodi al Nimer, a 15-year-old Palestinian teenager who practices indoor boxing, the sport opened her eyes to a new world and gave her a positive energy that allowed her to overcome some fears.
“I dream of becoming a doctor when I grow up and a boxing hero, to represent Palestine in Arab and international competitions,” remarks Al Nimer in her boxing uniform at the gymnasium, where she does aerobics and boxing against a heavy bag with his bulky gloves.
INTERNATIONAL SCREENING
As Ali Abdul Shafi, the club’s other co-founder, explained to EFE, the project started just three months ago with funding from him and his partner Ayoub, as well as a bank loan. .
With this they were able to prepare the gymnasium and buy the necessary equipment and tools to start, and now they are looking to expand the project with the support of an international boxing club with financial resources and connections so that their athletes can take part in championships abroad.
This poses a greater challenge given the strict blockade that Israel has enforced on Gaza by land, sea and air since 2007, when Hamas – which Israel considers a terrorist group – took control. Added to this are strong restrictions applied by Egypt, which also shares a border with the Strip.
Since then, the movement of people from the enclave has been greatly reduced, which also affects athletes trying to obtain permits to train or compete abroad, including in the occupied West Bank.
Added to this is the lack of basic products or tools to practice certain sports due to Israeli restrictions on the entry of certain goods, which is why many athletes face an arduous daily struggle to continue their sport. in a scenario of material scarcity.
However, despite this scenario, in the women’s boxing center in Gaza, they are not giving up and are looking for all the means to give more horizons to the young people who feel more and more autonomous.
Saud Abu Ramadan