Gaza's Beaches Host Swimming Classes Again After Three Years of War

Volunteers built five sea pools from sandbags and rubble on central Gaza's beaches, reviving swimming classes after three years of conflict. Coach Amjed Tantesh, who founded Gaza's first swimming academy over two decades ago, led the effort in summer 2026. Morning sessions are free for children orphaned by Israeli attacks; afternoons are open to all. The classes unfold amid a generational crisis: no formal schooling for three years, a UN-described "widespread mental health emergency," and famine-induced stunting — a condition where chronic malnutrition limits children's growth — that no volunteer pool can resolve.