Local radio in Gaza does practical things: disseminating health guidance, signalling the locations of services, providing psychosocial connection and countering disinformation in an environment of scarce information channels. The re-emergence of even a single FM outlet underlines the fragility of media ecosystems in conflict and the disproportionate impact of their loss on civic life.

Against the backdrop of two years of war and near-total destruction of Gaza’s media infrastructure, the revival of Zaman FM represents more than a technical restoration: it is a restorative civic act. Broadcasting from a damaged building in Tel al-Hawa, with generators and patched equipment, the station has reasserted radio’s unique capacity to reach populations amid power outages, displacement and public-health crises.

Humanitarian and reconstruction policies should prioritise media recovery as part of recovery: rapid supply of transmitters and fuel, training and protection for journalists, and funding for pluralistic local outlets. Restoring voices from the rubble is not ancillary to humanitarian relief, it is essential to preserving dignity, enabling aid, and rebuilding civic space.

Source: UN