Footage of parkour expert Ahmad Matar's impressive if potentially dangerous stunts among war-hit Gaza.
In video shot over 2014-15 in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis, Matar demonstrates incredible tricks, backflips and body movements that are unique to parkour.
Gaza-born Matar has been practicing parkour since he was nine. He told Newsflare he took up the discipline because he wanted to feel free and forget the tough situation that youngsters like him are living in.
"I found my freedom through my sport and it was really hard at first because there are no safety measures and we just try parkour over destroyed buildings," Matar said.
"When I started I used to practice in cemeteries because these were the only place where I could train. People didn't accept the sport that I do because they think it has something to do with stealing and destroying," he continued.
"I wanted to show the world through parkour and therefore to send a stronger message to the world; I traveled to Europe and I have found beautiful places where I had the chance to show people the beauty of cities with my discipline," he commented.
"In Europe there are a lot of parkour gyms that allow you to train safely, whereas in Gaza the environment makes it really hard and dangerous to train.”
In video shot over 2014-15 in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis, Matar demonstrates incredible tricks, backflips and body movements that are unique to parkour.
Gaza-born Matar has been practicing parkour since he was nine. He told Newsflare he took up the discipline because he wanted to feel free and forget the tough situation that youngsters like him are living in.
"I found my freedom through my sport and it was really hard at first because there are no safety measures and we just try parkour over destroyed buildings," Matar said.
"When I started I used to practice in cemeteries because these were the only place where I could train. People didn't accept the sport that I do because they think it has something to do with stealing and destroying," he continued.
"I wanted to show the world through parkour and therefore to send a stronger message to the world; I traveled to Europe and I have found beautiful places where I had the chance to show people the beauty of cities with my discipline," he commented.
"In Europe there are a lot of parkour gyms that allow you to train safely, whereas in Gaza the environment makes it really hard and dangerous to train.”
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