“Today we are the only radio station broadcasting from Gaza on FM after this widespread destruction,” he said. “We hope that other local radio stations will resume broadcasting, allowing competition in providing media services to the people of the Gaza Strip.”
Come on World Radio DayAs observed on February 13, the resumption of broadcasting comes at a time when Gaza’s media infrastructure continues to face significant challenges, amid local and international calls to support journalism as part of broader recovery and reconstruction efforts in the sector.
A journalist works in the damaged office of Zaman 90.60 FM radio station in Gaza City.
Digging through the rubble
After a nearly two-year hiatus due to the war, some local radio stations in the Gaza Strip are broadcasting again, in a move that signals gradual efforts to revitalize the media landscape in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip – much of which has suffered widespread destruction of infrastructure and civilian institutions by Israeli attacks.
Zaman FM operates in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, where Israeli attacks caused a famine and left mountains of rubble in the streets.
The cracked walls of the station building tell a story of immense destruction and the scene inside is unlike any other radio studio in the world.
Crews dig through the rubble to get the transmitter broadcasting, working with minimal technical resources, while behind them awareness posters warn people of the dangers of dilapidated buildings.
On-air messages of hope
Local radio remains crucial in Gaza as humanitarian crises persist, power outages persist and access to other media remains limited. This makes radio one of the most effective ways to convey important messages to the public, alongside health education and information about other services.
Gaza urgently needs professional local radio stations that can broadcast awareness messages and guidance bulletins in light of the spread of diseases, the deterioration of the education system and the disruption of many basic services, said Mr Al-Sharafi, director of the radio station and host of the morning program. An hour’s time.
“We must provide information to the population and guide them to the services that have been halted and are gradually being resumed,” he said, “especially in light of the difficult health conditions and the spread of epidemics.”
Amid the destruction all around him, Mr. Al-Sharafi sits behind his dust-covered microphone and does just that.
He sends morning greetings to the people of Gaza and provides them with important information and updates, sending much-needed hope into the airwaves in a devastated landscape that is only just beginning to recover.
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