“Today we are the only radio station broadcasting on FM from Gaza after this widespread destruction,” he said. “We hope that other local radio stations will resume broadcasting, thus allowing competition in providing media services to the people of the Gaza Strip.”
Ahead of World Radio Day, which falls on February 13, the resumption of broadcasting comes at a time when Gaza’s media infrastructure still faces 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 the 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 shows gradual efforts to revive the media landscape in the war-torn Strip, much of which has suffered widespread destruction of infrastructure and civilian institutions from Israeli attacks.
Zaman FM operates in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, where Israeli attacks caused 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.
Employees dig through the rubble to keep the station broadcasting, working with minimal technical resources, while behind them, awareness posters warn people about the dangers of ruined buildings.
Messages of hope on the air
Local radio remains vital in Gaza as humanitarian crises persist, power outages continue and access to other media remains limited. This makes radio one of the most effective ways to reach the public with key messages, along with health guidance and information about other services.
Gaza urgently needs professional local radio stations capable of broadcasting awareness messages and guidance bulletins in the face of the spread of diseases, the deterioration of the education system and the interruption of many basic services, said Mr. Al-Sharafi, director of the radio station and host of the morning show. one hour of time.
“We need to offer information to the population and guide them towards services that have been interrupted and are gradually resuming,” he said, “especially in light of the difficult sanitary conditions and the spread of epidemics.”
Amid the destruction around him, Al-Sharafi sits behind his dust-covered microphone and does just that.
It sends morning greetings to Gaza residents and provides them with important information and updates, bringing much-needed hope to the airwaves of a devastated landscape that has only just begun to recover.