STORY: Palestinian female boxers cling to dreams
SHOOTING DATE: Recent footage
DATELINE: July 26, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:45
LOCATION: GAZA, Palestine
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Palestinian female boxers during their training
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): HALLA AYOUB, Boxer
3. various of Palestinian female boxers during their training
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): HALLA AYOUB, Boxer
5. various of Palestinian female boxers during their training
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): OSAMA AYOUB, Co-founder of the Palestinian Center of Boxing for Women
7. various of Palestinian female boxers during their training

STORYLINE:

Once again, Halla Ayoub, a 17-year-old Palestinian boxer, has found her way to the sport despite the setbacks amid the devastating conflict between Israel and armed Palestinian factions.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): HALLA AYOUB, Boxer
"I have been practicing boxing for five years and I participated because it was my dream to represent Palestine in many championships, but the war destroyed all our dreams. After seven months of war, we met the coach and returned to practicing it because it gives us motivation for life, strengthens our character and gives us will and hope for life."
   
Before the war, Ayoub and dozens of other female Palestinians had challenged the convention and gender stereotype to join the first-ever female boxing club in Gaza called the Palestinian Center of Boxing for Women.

"I picked up this sport five years ago, as I wanted to prove to our society that women and men can be equal in such sports," she said. "I was so happy when I succeeded in getting a place in the Palestinian National Team, and I would represent my country in international competitions."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): HALLA AYOUB, Boxer
"I decided to continue participating and playing boxing despite everything that happened to us. It was not a motivation to stop us, but a motivation to continue my journey because it gives me positive energy and gets rid of negative energy. I dream of participating in international championships and achieving our dreams that were destroyed by the occupation."

Ayoub used to practice for 16 hours a week. In late 2023, she could have represented Palestine in an Arabian competition.

But all her hope was dashed as the Israeli army launched a large-scale war on Gaza after Hamas, the Islamist group ruling Gaza, carried out an unprecedented attack on the Israeli towns adjacent to Gaza. Many Palestinian facilities, including sports clubs, were leveled.

Ayoub cried over her loss sometimes, but she gathered strength for her dream. Boxing has turned her into a determined one with more self-confidence, and she decided to look for her former coach and teammates, as well as boxing gear.
   
"I told myself over and over again that if I died, I would die believing in my ability to challenge the circumstances, and if I survived, I would continue on the path towards my dream and see the Palestinian flag rise in international arenas," she said.

After efforts, she met her coach and teammates and resumed training in the refugee camp in Mawasi of Khan Younis in the south of Gaza.

At first, Osama Ayoub, co-founder of the club, was hesitant about the training, mainly because people were struggling to survive. But the girls presented their reasons: to get rid of psychological pressures and not to lag behind after the war ends.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): OSAMA AYOUB, Co-founder of the Palestinian Center of Boxing for Women
"We had a large sports club that contained all boxing equipment and had about 50 trainees and we had great success. We were supposed to participate in championships in 2023, but because of the war, everything stopped. They bombed the club and my house and we were displaced several times. However, I was moving between schools to train the children and girls there to get rid of negative energy and replace it with positive energy."

Halla Ayoub hoped the war would end soon so she could continue practicing and someday participate in international competitions.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Gaza, Palestine.
(XHTV)