WE ARE FLOAT TO GAZA COLLECTIVE
The Floating Castle Festival, which took place in Slovenia between August 7 and 10, succeeded in breaking the blockade of Gaza. By establishing a direct online and radio connection in the evening of August 7, the festival brought together musicians and artists from all over the world with Palestinian musicians from Gaza in a joint concert.
One voice was missing in this event, a voice of a young girl Sarah Hamed Al-Qarnawi from a children’s choir Ahazeej. Sarah was killed five days before by an Israeli bomb. She was supposed to perform a song La Tetlaa’I with Ahazeej, which was accompanied by the Etno Histeria World Orchestra, consisting of 78 performers from 23 countries, at the festival. During their performance a statement was read on behalf of musicians and organizers:
WE ARE SARAH
Sarah Hamed Al-Qarnawi, forever in our hearts.
This is not an obituary.
Sarah Hamed Al-Qarnawi was killed on August 2, 2025, in the early hours of the morning. An Israeli bomb also killed her parents, her five-year-old sister, and her three-year-old brother. Sarah was ten years old.
But this is not an obituary.
Sarah was part of the Ahazeej choir (in translation, ahazeejmeans a collection of songs or folk melodies) from Gaza under the direction of Samar Al-Banna. Samar, who informed the festival organizers of Sarah’s murder, said of her:
“Sarah was an active and talkative little girl who loved life. She was not a member of our choir from the very beginning, but she quickly learned the song La Tetlaa’i. She was never late for rehearsals, she had even been there earlier. At the last two rehearsals she was noticeably exhausted, perhaps from hunger or fear. We had another rehearsal yesterday. I was very late and Sarah was so exhausted that her smile that had previously adorned her face disappeared. Despite fatigue, we successfully completed the rehearsal. When we finished, I called out to her: ‘Will you come tomorrow too?’ She replied: ‘I will be on time. Or even earlier!’ We laughed. She turned and walked out the door through which she will never return. She left without the world hearing her voice and her singing. But perhaps the world will hear her through you.”
This is not an obituary.
For a person to truly die, they would also have to be forgotten. Sarah will never be forgotten. She will always live in our hearts, where we will cherish and protect her memory. She will live with us as long as we live. And as long as we live, we will strive for the lives of all Palestinian children and for the freedom of the Palestinian people. We do not promise this to Sara.
We are Sarah!
We adopt the name of Sarah Hamed Al-Qarnawi so that, even though she was killed, she will never die.
We are building a global network of artists, performers,technicians, producers and event organizers, called Float 2 Gaza, to mobilize and coordinate a worldwide front of solidarity with Palestinian people and defiance against a machinery of genocide. We are calling on cultural workers everywhere to become a part of this movement, revolutionize art and culture and connect with artists and performers from Gaza and West Bank.
Palestine will be free, or the world will not be.
Float 2 Gaza collective,
in the name of Sarah Hamed Al-Qarnawi.