In war-torn Gaza, simply walking down the street can mean an encounter with a bomb or bullet. But among the devastation, the Strip’s only urban calisthenics gang – Bar Palestine – are determined to keep practising gravity-defying moves, in spite of the horrors they face
![Inside Gaza's Street-Workout Group](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/12630/159725/573cda945b6f5/Inside-Gazas-Street-Workout-Group.jpg)
It’s 3pm Friday 11 December 2015, but on the Gaza Strip any thoughts of winding down for the weekend are extinguished by the crack and echo of machine gun fire and the eye-watering sting of tear gas. At Erez – the main checkpoint separating Gaza and Israel – a blood-soaked skirmish is raging between the Israeli Border Police and Gazan protestors. As is becoming tradition on Fridays, a handful of possibly bored, certainly reckless young Gazan men approach the buffer zone, brazenly launching stones at Israeli soldiers on the other side. Today, the soldiers’ patience has worn thin and the altercation escalates into a violent street battle.
Nearby, in the Strip’s Sheikh Zayed sector, four military-aged Gazan men are suspended shirtless from the bombed-out remains of a house. Their bodies are taut with distended muscles, their faces supressing pain through gritted teeth. Finally, after two minutes, one of the men drops to the floor, shaking out his arms.
“That was tough!” he laughs, as his friends climb down beside him.
A photographer steps forward to show them the pictures he’s just taken. As the men crowd around to get a look at the screen, an explosion sounds nearby. The men flinch but make no attempt to run. For the members of Bar Palestine – Gaza’s only street workout practitioners conflict is a way of life and not worthy of interrupting their exercise routine. Indeed, it’s Gaza’s most damaged and dangerous neighbourhoods that provide their very training ground.
MIND OVER BODY
This story is from the May 2016 edition of Men's Health UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2016 edition of Men's Health UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![Every Question You Ever Had About Really Eating Well](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12630/346395/5d3579050f0b7/crp_Every-Question-You-Ever-Had-About-Really-Eating-Well.jpg)
Every Question You Ever Had About Really Eating Well
Nutrition is a maddening business. Foods are in one day, compost the next; vitamins that cured ills last week are promptly debunked. We all want to eat better, but who has the time to sift fact from fad? Rest easy because this is your easily digestible, bite-sized guide to doing precisely that
![The False Prophets Of Wellness](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12630/346395/5d3560b1107f6/crp_The-False-Prophets-Of-Wellness.jpg)
The False Prophets Of Wellness
Muscle, fat loss, wisdom… Whatever you seek, there is now an entrepreneurial guru armed with hashtags who claims to have the answer. But is it gospel?
![The Brexit Diet](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12630/334713/5c822c8be572f/crp_The-Brexit-Diet.jpg)
The Brexit Diet
Whether you voted Leave or Remain, the EU has transformed the way we eat – and crashing out threatens to deal a mighty blow to both our palates and our nutritional health. MH spoke to the experts worried that the true impact of Brexit will leave a very bad taste in our mouths.
The Gastropub Nutrition Plan
New research suggests you don’t need to cut back on flavour either to satisfy your cravings or to cook off kilos. Better pass that piccalilli
![Your Detox Doner Card](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12630/267743/5ab40ca639cbe/crp_Your-Detox-Doner-Card.jpg)
Your Detox Doner Card
The vilified sat fat in your kebab is actually the antidote to offset booze’s impact on your liver. How convenient
![Reach For The Stars](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12630/267743/5ab42610d3a66/crp_Reach-For-The-Stars.jpg)
Reach For The Stars
He has crossed the Atlantic, from Peckham to Hollywood, carrying multiple blockbusters on his newly broad shoulders. But while John Boyega’s star is in the ascendant, his feet remain firmly on the ground – thanks to a few fundamental life lessons learned along the way. Take note and look up.
![One Word Answer #43](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12630/267743/5ab4270fab70a/crp_One-Word-Answer-43.jpg)
One Word Answer #43
As tedious as they might have seemed at the time, most of the lessons our parents taught us as kids were worthy of adherence. Sit up straight at the table; look people in the eye when you thank them; try not to spit at strangers – even as an adult, these are values to live by.
![Stamina? It's As Easy As Pie](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12630/281755/5b0fa3a235c63/crp_Stamina-Its-As-Easy-As-Pie.jpg)
Stamina? It's As Easy As Pie
Don’t flake on post-workout pastry. Pie and mash is your new performance enhancer
![The Trip Treatment](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12630/281755/5b0fa99aa1289/crp_The-Trip-Treatment.jpg)
The Trip Treatment
Once the poison of the counterculture, psychedelic drugs are gaining credibility as a powerful, viable mental health tool that could transform the way we understand ourselves. Are you ready to turn on, tune in and dose up?
![Working Out In Sharp Relief](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12630/355668/5d149ed4ea996/crp_WORKING-OUT-IN-SHARP-RELIEF.jpg)
Working Out In Sharp Relief
At the time of writing, a shocking figure is splashed across the news: “London’s 45th murder victim this year – an 18-year-old stabbed to death.” The capital is in crisis, and the police are no closer to a solution.