MSF Play “Gaza – Aita ash Shab” Amplifies Women’s Voices
Beirut, Lebanon – 3 November 2025 – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) presented a powerful play titled Gaza – Aita ash Shab – Gaza, directed by Lina Abyad, at Le Monnot Theatre in Beirut on Monday evening. The work documented firsthand testimonies of women who survived the Israeli war in Palestine and Lebanon – accounts gathered by MSF teams from their own staff and patients. The production, which was free to the public, was presented in Arabic with English subtitles.
The evening opened with remarks from Sébastien Gay, MSF Lebanon’s Executive Director, and Jinane Saad, MSF Lebanon’s Communications Director. They stressed the importance of art as a tool for documenting the human experience and keeping collective memory alive, affirming that the play was an extension of the organisation’s mission and a cornerstone of its work: to bear witness.
The play transported the audience on a poignant human journey from the heart of MSF’s field operations to the theatre stage. It amplified the voices of women who challenged destruction with their work, defiance and connection to their land, brought to life through the talents of actors Dareen Shams Aldin and Mira Sidawi, composer Carol OHair, singer Cosette Chedid, and lighting designer Tarek Majzoub. “This work relays the powerful testimonies of women who confronted war,” said director Lina Abyad. “It leaves the audience feeling both strength and inspiration.”
This work embodied MSF’s commitment to amplifying the voices of those affected by wars and conflicts, this time through the medium of theatre. Just as the organisation’s teams deliver their medical and humanitarian messages in the field, this play offered a new perspective, reflecting the suffering and steadfastness of women through art.
About the Title
The name of the play, Gaza – Aita ash Shab – Gaza, carries profound symbolism. It connects Gaza in Palestine with the town of Aita ash Shab in South Lebanon – two regions separated by borders but united by the same human experience: war, loss, the strength of women in the face of bombardment and displacement, and their refusal to have their stories reduced to pain and tragedy.
The play recounts the stories of Nour from Palestine, a young woman working as a Field Communications Officer for MSF in Gaza, and Nahla from Lebanon, a woman displaced by the war from Aita ash Shab. They narrate their daily realities of genocide, war, and displacement. They converse without ever meeting, presenting portraits of women who refused to surrender or be silent, insisting on raising their voices.
Gaza – Aita ash Shab – Gaza served as a testament to the ability of women to transform pain into strength, and to the theatre’s capacity to provide a space for solidarity and healing.
