In besieged Gaza, a band of bodybuilders won’t let conflict stop them from pumping iron. Yet they strive onward despite the mounting barriers created by a deteriorating humanitarian crisis. Coach Adly al-Assar, a former international powerlifting champion, has constructed a makeshift tent gym in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, amidst the devastation caused by ongoing conflict. The conical gym occupies only 60 square meters (650 sq ft) and is shrouded in plastic sheeting. It does indeed stand as a bright light of hope for athletes succumbing to acute malnutrition and physical wastage.
The tent gym in the middle of a refugee camp full of tents and makeshift trees. It’s a home for bodybuilders who won’t allow intentional hunger and displacement to wipe out their cultures and aspirations. Al-Assar was able to salvage ten pieces of equipment from his original facility. Sadly, the remainder was smashed to pieces in the collapse from Israeli forces’ bombing. Aside from the views, this new gym provides a much-needed environment in which to train. It represents the heroic struggle against the regime’s “reality of genocide, destruction, and displacement,” in al-Assar’s words.
The Struggles of Athletes
Twenty-year-old Ali al-Azraq putting in the work at the tent gym. Like many residents of Gaza, he was pushed out of central Gaza in the early weeks of the war. He has experienced the phenomenal revamps both in his physique. His weight has decreased from 79 kg to 68 kg, largely due to loss of muscle mass. The continued conflict has made it very difficult to keep this level of nutrition available to him and other athletes.
“The biggest part of the loss happened during the current starvation period, which began months ago and intensified in the last month.” – Ali al-Azraq
The situation is dire for Tareq Abu Youssef, a street vendor who had aspirations of competing in a Gaza-wide bodybuilding championship scheduled just two weeks after conflict escalated in October 2023. Since March, Abu Youssef has lost an amazing 14 kilos. His journey from tipping the scale at 72 kg to an impressive 58 kg (159 lb to 128 lb) has been challenging. His musculoskeletal function has decreased too; he can no longer bench press 100 kg but can only manage 30 kg.
“I have dropped 14 kilograms, from 72 kg to 58 kg (159 lb to 128 lb), since March.” – Tareq Abu Youssef
The athletes, seen in the tent gym, experience extreme restrictions when training. With no legal expectations in place, Coach al-Assar has them keep their training runs to only 30 minutes. This choice results from exhaustion and muscle spasms due to chronic lack of food. Collapse and fainting are now among the most frequent symptoms seen in the bodybuilders.
“The recommendations are strict to shorten training duration and increase rest periods.” – Adly al-Assar
Nutrition Crisis and Its Impact
The absence of even basic nutrition has taken an enormous toll on the athletes’ well-being. Our bodybuilders get a pittance of plant protein — 1.3 ounces — from lentils, and many key foods are all but absent. According to Doctors Without Borders, the number of cases of severe acute malnutrition in Gaza is alarming. Academics and politicians alike have called the crisis “man-made” and even deliberately created.
Fighter Ali al-Azraq could barely hide his irritation with the paltry menu.
“I actually find nothing to eat except rarely a piece of bread, rice, or pasta in tiny quantities that keep me alive. But we completely lack all essential nutrients and important proteins – meat, chicken, healthy oils, eggs, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and others.” – Ali al-Azraq
This nutritional deprivation has begun to affect the athletes’ physical performance. They now barely lift a quarter of their pre-famine loads. For Tareq Abu Youssef, the transformation has been nothing short of catastrophic. His deadlifts have dropped from 150 kg to only 60 kg and his shoulder presses from 45 kg to 15 kg.
“But if eating has become an abnormality in Gaza, working out for bodybuilders like us is one rare way to maintain normalcy.” – Tareq Abu Youssef
The Role of Sports in Maintaining Hope
Even with these challenges, Coach Adly al-Assar insists on the role of sports as a source of psychological comfort and resilience. For him, sports are the only remaining link to life itself for pretty much everyone, a world that exists outside the harsh dystopia that’s engulfed them.
“Sports give life and psychological comfort. We were closer to the dead even though we were alive.” – Khaled Al-Bahabsa
Here’s what al-Assar had to say about his hopes—for himself and his athletes. He fought tooth and nail for their rights to practice their sports and compete for Palestine in international tournaments. He said that above all their desire is peace and the restoration of normal life.
“We aspire to live like the rest of the world’s peoples. We want only peace and life and hate the war and Israeli occupation that exterminates and starves us.” – Adly al-Assar
Yet he had the foresight to understand that the status quo was a grave danger. Unless conditions quickly get better, there might be no more training at all.
“We’re living a deadly starvation crisis, and training might stop altogether if circumstances continue this way.” – Adly al-Assar
