GAZA FANS MOB INTERNET STAR
Former Hamas man is popular for funny, ironic songs
Adel films video clips on his phone, but he’s a rock star in Palestine,
GAZA CITY // Mobbed by fans wherever he goes, Adel Meshoukhi is the kind of singer that perhaps only Gaza could produce: an internet sensation who depends on a modest stipend from Hamas.
Very few people in the Palestinian territory have not heard of the young and disenchanted Meshoukhi.
He has performed for 10 years as a singer and also acts in television and radio dramas. But despite his fame among Palestinians, he earns barely anything from his art and used to work for the Hamas security services until he was accidentally shot in the leg during training three years ago.
Young people listen to the song, called Fear Not, and other hits over and over again on their phones or at wedding parties.
The secret of his success? His light style, which mixes jokes and irony for Gazans keen to forget politics for a few minutes.
“I no longer speak of politics and war because we are all fed up, we want to have some fun,” says Meshoukhi.
For psychiatrist Samir Zaqout, the singer’s success comes from tapping into “the desperation born of social and economic pressure on young Palestinians”.
It is precisely because “he is afraid of nothing and speaks the needs of youth” that he is so popular, says Saleh Al Moughir, a Gazan actor.
In a video posted on YouTube, Meshoukhi hits out at Gaza’s Islamist rulers.
“Hamas, leave office. It’s been 10 years you’ve been responsible for the plight of Gazans. You sent us back 300 years,” he bellows.
“We have no electricity, no water, no jobs and borders are closed. Life, dreams, hopes, everything is finished.”