Despite a ban on the import of telescopes imposed by the Israeli occupation, a group of Gazans has come together to form an astronomy club, Quds Net news reports. Founded by Dr. Suleiman Barakah in 2012, the club aims to spread the culture of astronomy in the besieged enclave.
One of its members, Maysoon Abu Hameed, told Quds Net that she was just a housewife, without a university education, but that the club had opened her horizons. “Astronomy is my hobby and passion. Everyone has a hobby that they love to practise and to think outside of the box. It’s a human instinct.”
Another member said that like everything in Gaza, the club faced problems because of the Israeli occupation, with telescopes impossible to import, and permits for budding astronomers to leave the Strip hard to come by.
“The most difficult obstacles facing us in Palestine generally and Gaza in particular are the lack of resources that can really help us to build bridges for Palestinian astronomy at national and international levels,” Dr Subuh al-Qaid told Quds Net.
Gaza has been blockaded by Israel for the previous ten years, with most people unable to leave the strip, and many items forbidden from entering.
The enclave is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with water and electricity in short supply, many people homeless, and some types of healthcare unavailable. The United Nations and Palestinian groups see the crisis as having been caused by Israel. Israel blames Hamas, the militant Islamic group that is the de-facto government in Gaza, for the problems.
The astronomy group in Gaza stays in touch with the outside world through an Arabic-language Facebook page that has nearly 100,000 followers. Follow them for a look at the stars through the lens of one of the most difficult places on earth.
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