Gaza Sisters Win Prize for Turning Rubble Into Reusable Bricks
May 13, 2026 | Source: BBC | by Danny Aeberhard and Maia Davies
Two teenage sisters from Gaza have won an environmental award for turning rubble into reusable bricks, saying they wanted to “turn destruction into something useful”.
Farah and Tala Mousa, who live in a tent and have been repeatedly displaced since their home was bombed, have been named the Middle East regional winners of the youth-focused Earth Prize.
“After our entire city turned into rubble, everything around us pushed us to think about a solution,” 17-year-old Tala told the BBC.
The sisters plan to use their $12,500 (£9,245) prize to teach others to produce the bricks and “participate in reconstruction themselves, instead of waiting only for outside help,” 15-year-old Farah said.
The UN estimates 1.9 million people in Gaza – nearly 90% of the population – have been displaced since war began in 2023, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October. Israel responded by launching a military campaign against Hamas in the territory.