Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, a local bodybuilder continues to train and inspire his community during the current challenging times.
In 1989, young Sami Ibrahim Mahmoud, fueled by his love for sports and his homeland, started his challenging bodybuilding journey in Gaza.
For him, a strong body is the foundation of all sports and a source of mental strength. To this day, Mahmoud and many other bodybuilders in similar situations remain in a war-torn environment, losing weight due to food shortages, lacking proper training facilities, and facing unknown dangers just to train.
"No pitches or facilities are fit for training. That's the general situation now. In particular, you have to address the important role of nutrition. Where can you get proper nutrition under such conditions of famine, so that you can train and build your muscles. Personally, I lost weight, from 94 to 74 kilograms. That's a 20-kilo drop. Of course, I'm not the only one. I might still be better off than other players," Mahmoud said.
"You also face insecurity when leaving your home to go to training, and that's assuming you even can find a place to train and actually go to work out. So where can you find a safe place to train, without being bombed on your way, from above, beside, or even beneath?" he said.
However, Mahmoud has not given up. For many like him, they keep looking for light in the darkest tunnels, using bodybuilding to share strength and hope with others.
"We're not from another planet. The whole world talks about our strength and resilience, yet, we are flesh and blood, human beings with feelings – we have ambitions and hopes – we're not just numbers. But the one thing that's different is that we always look for light in every dark tunnel. We try as much as possible to turn this dark tunnel into a path toward success, excellence and progress. Up to now, despair hasn't found its way to us. Why? Because we believe this war won't last forever. This war will end, and we'll try as much as we can to light up a candle in the darkness," he said.
Lifting hope with strength, Gazan bodybuilder perseveres in war
