oud

Mohammed is largely self-taught, yet his fingers seemed destined for the oud.

Back at Gaza’s Gallery, the plucking of oud strings resonated from different areas of the low-key, grassy outdoor cafe.

Salman flagged me down and invited me to sit as he and Mohammed made music. They sang through works of Egyptian singer Umm Kalthoum and Lebanese diva Fairuz, and Mohammed improvised based on songs he’d heard.

He has the ear, the fingers, the heart, and Salman, while just learning oud now, has the love of singing.

Across the terraced grassy plot, a musician packs away his oud for the night, another evening under siege in Gaza, but at least there is music.