Khaberni - From a small studio in Deir al-Balah, the voice of broadcaster Sylvia Hassan resonates through "Here is Gaza", one of the first radio stations broadcasting from the Palestinian sector after a war that lasted more than two years.
Sylvia sits on an armchair with a golden frame in a well-lit small room, across from a technical team checking and adjusting sound levels on an audio mixer.
Technician Shirin Khalifa said the station, broadcasting on the "FM" band, "aims to be the voice of the people in the Gaza Strip, and to express their problems and suffering, especially after the war". She added, "There are many issues that people need to express".
Broadcaster Sylvia Hassan confirmed that the station, striving to be independent, will focus on social issues and the humanitarian situation which remains catastrophic despite a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas movement since October 10, achieved by pressure from the United States after nearly two years of war.
She said that "Here is Gaza" will cover "the situation of the displaced people up to the humanitarian cases and the scrutiny regarding aid and the condition of women in the Gaza Strip between displacement tents, and the educational life after its halt and collapse".
Most residents of the sector, numbering more than two million, have been displaced at least once due to the fighting, and many continue to live in temporary shelters under extremely poor health conditions.
The war destroyed infrastructure, including communication and electricity networks.
- "Dream" -
Shirin Khalifa said, "The electricity issue is a very serious and difficult problem in the Gaza Strip".
She added, "We initially had to provide solar power systems, but sometimes they do not work well, so we also had to rely on an external electric generator".
The European Union funds the launch of the station and it is overseen by the organization "Palestinian Women in Media" and also the Media Center at "Al-Najah" National University in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.
The station is expected to broadcast for two hours daily from Gaza, and longer from Nablus.
Moreover, the lack of stable internet was a major obstacle for the operation of the station, and Shirin Khalifa confirmed that "a great effort was made to solve this problem... to ensure the sound does not cut off".
She said, "In the presence of a blockade, it is natural that modern and new equipment necessary for radio work does not enter, and therefore we invested in what is available".
The Gaza Strip, facing the Mediterranean Sea, is under an Israeli blockade.
Broadcaster Sylvia Hassan said, "This station was a dream we worked to realize over many months, and sometimes we did not sleep to achieve this milestone that was a challenge for us and a story of perseverance".
