The Palestinian boy, Hussam Al-Attar, has lit up the tent where he lives with his family after they were displaced due to the Israeli war on Gaza, using two fans he found in a junk market and connecting them with some wires. In appreciation of his ingenuity, the residents of the camp have nicknamed him "Gaza's Newton."
Fifteen-year-old Al-Attar, whose appearance may seem younger, said, "They called me Gaza's Newton because of the resemblance between me and Newton, who had an apple fall on him while sitting under an apple tree and discovered gravity. In the midst of the darkness we live in, the tragedy, and the rockets that fall on us... I invented this light."
The English world-renowned scientist Isaac Newton is popularly associated with the story of the apple. Currently, more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are packed into Rafah at the southern end of the strip near the border fence with Egypt.
Al-Attar's family has set up their tent next to a one-story house, which enabled the boy to climb onto the house's roof and install two fans on top of each other, allowing them to function like small wind turbines capable of charging batteries. He connected the fans with wires passed through the house and used buttons and lamps along with a thin piece of wood extending into the tent to create a lighting system for his family.
Al-Attar struggled in his first two attempts and it took him some time to set up the system, finally managing to get it running on his third try. He said, "I started to develop it little by little until I was able to extend the wires and switches through the room to the tent we live in, to light up the tent."
He continued: "I was very happy that I eased the suffering of my family, my sick father, and my brother's small children. I greatly alleviated the suffering and crisis we live in during the war."
Amid the feeling of despair, Al-Attar still clings to his dreams and ambitions. He said: "I am very happy that the camp residents call me Gaza's Newton because I hope to achieve my dream of becoming a scientist like Newton and to invent something that will not only benefit the residents of Gaza but the whole world."
The Israeli military operation in Gaza erupted in response to an attack by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of 253 hostages, according to Israel. Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas and liberate the hostages, retaliating with a devastating military assault on Gaza that has resulted in the deaths of over 27,000 people, according to health officials in the sector, causing mass displacement and a spread of hunger.
