Gaza's young female boxers train on the beach amid COVID-19 closures

Coach said the public training sessions could help get more girls involved in the sport

Published: May 22, 2020 14:31 Reuters and Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Digital Content Editor

1 of 7

Gaza: Trading jabs and punches, a team of young female boxers - some as young as four - trained on the beach in Gaza this week after their club was closed due to COVID-19. Image Credit: Reuters

2 of 7

The sight of over a dozen girls boxing on the beach while wearing face masks caught the eye of passersby in the Mediterranean coastal enclave, where the sport is mostly popular with men. Image Credit: Reuters

3 of 7

The girls' coach, Osama Ayob, said the public training sessions could help get more girls involved in the sport. Women make up half of the strip's two million population. Image Credit: Reuters

4 of 7

"Some families walking by us liked the idea and they asked if they could send their girls so I can train them," said Ayob, 34. Image Credit: Reuters

5 of 7

One of the boxers, 15-year-old Malah Mesleh, said she would rather train in public than miss out on sessions -- or, worse yet, risk contagion by practising in the team's gym. Image Credit: Reuters

6 of 7

"We decided to leave the club because it is a closed space, and the virus, if present, would easily spread," she said. Image Credit: Reuters

7 of 7

Gaza has reported 55 COVID-19 cases, all of them in quarantine centres, and not deaths. Schools, wedding halls and gyms have been closed but the strip's Islamist rulers Hamas have not imposed a full lockdown, saying it was not necessary. Image Credit: Reuters

Photos News

Gaza's young female boxers train on the beach amid COVID-19 closures

More From Photos

Antony Blinken regrets Hamas rejection in new truce bid

Israeli settlers burn cars in West Bank attack: Palestinians

Israel sees unprecedented surge in citizens spying for Iran

Look: US election rivals race to photo finish

GULFNEWS SECTIONS

Trending

Gaza's young female boxers train on the beach amid COVID-19 closures

More From Photos

Antony Blinken regrets Hamas rejection in new truce bid

Israeli settlers burn cars in West Bank attack: Palestinians

Israel sees unprecedented surge in citizens spying for Iran

Look: US election rivals race to photo finish

GULFNEWS SECTIONS