Gaza sisters win prize for turning rubble into reusable bricks

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.

By early 2025, the damage in the strip was estimated to amount to $70bn (£51bn), with millions of tonnes of rubble lining its streets.

Farah and Tala developed the blocks not far from a tent in which they were living after their home was destroyed in August.

Made through crushing the rubble and sieving the debris before mixing it with materials like clay, ash and glass powder, the girls tested the blocks by helping a neighbour hold down their tent in poor weather.

Low-cost and lightweight, they are designed for "non-load-bearing use, such as pavements, partitions and garden beds," Farah told the BBC World Service's Newsday.

The sisters - who lost their prototype when they were last displaced - said they had been motivated by the "destruction" around them.

"Even the view from our tent window became the main motivation," said Tala.

"We transferred something negative into something positive by refusing to see rubble only as a symbol of destruction and loss."

She added: "Instead of seeing it as the end, we tried to see it as the beginning of something new."

They plan to use the prize money to hold workshops to train some 100 young people to create the bricks themselves - aiming to produce at least 200 of them.

The Earth Prize - awarded for solutions to environmental challenges - has already named its regional winners for Europe and Africa.

An 18-year-old in Ireland won for creating a biodegradable plastic that breaks down safely, and two 17-year-olds in Kenya received the award for developing a low-cost vehicle exhaust system that captures emissions using filters made from natural ingredients.

Four regions are still to be announced. A public vote will then determine the overall winner.