Hello,
My name is Bahaa Ghazi Al-Yazji. I'm 45 years old, a director, drama teacher and puppet maker. I was living in Gaza City, Al-Rimal Street during the war with my family until July 1st 2025 when our home was bombed. I tried to repair it several times after repeated bombing until there was nothing to repair.
My wife Randa Mohamed Hassan Alyazji and I, along with my three daughters, Sally Bahaa Mohamed Alyazji aged 17, Rama aged 14 and Mera aged 14 years. We now live in harsh conditions during the war. I conduct drama workshops and puppet shows with children in the displacement camps. I try to bring some hope and fun to the camps.
Life in Gaza is very harsh. I have three sweet young daughters, and it is very difficult to care for them.
When the bombing intensified in Gaza, I tried to search for a truck to transport my family and our belongings. During my exodus, I suffered because I walked from Gaza City to the south for about 6 hours. We were looking for safety. I went out under fire and was unable to take my personal belongings at the time.
We couldn't find a place to sleep, so I went to a fellow puppeteer's displacement lodging, Murad Al-Maghari, and stayed for ten days. During this period, we were looking for a shelter because there was no room available with my friend. We found a place in an abandoned club in the southern Gaza Strip, in the Deir al-Bahah area. I collected some fabrics to make a tent for my family and me. There are no institutions or charities that currently care for the displaced.
It is now the beginning of winter, and we will suffer from extreme cold. I'm unsure how to protect my family from the cold and rain.
The cost of living has become unbearable. It now costs approximately $50 per day to feed a family of five, $70 for a week’s worth of firewood, $50 for a single piece of clothing, $ 15 to $30 for basic hygiene products.
A tent costs around 1,500 USD, not including the rental of the ground space. I cannot afford all these things without your help.
As a puppeteer, director, sculptor and educator with friends in the UNIMA community, I hope that you can help support me and my family in this humanitarian crisis.
I have been part of the Camp Theatre of Gaza Strip since 2023. Camp Theatre is a street theatre troupe that offers therapeutic, educational, and social performances incorporating puppetry. It came together when a group of us actors, directors, and makers from Gaza responded to the crisis to bring art directly to children in displacement camps and shelters. In spite of the never-ending presence of drones and threats of bombing, we have continued to provide puppet shows and art activities as relief, education, and support to children and their families.
“Regardless of circumstance, we remain artists and educators. We have to continue making art—for ourselves and for our community.”
Organiser
Marie Denham
Organiser