Gaza Teens Win Regional Earth Prize for Making Bricks from War Rubble

Two teenage sisters from Gaza displaced by war have been named the Middle East regional winners of the Earth Prize for developing bricks made from rubble. Farah Mousa, 15, and Tala Mousa, 17, live in a tent and have been repeatedly displaced since their home was destroyed in August. BBC News reported that the sisters developed the blocks not far from the tent in which they were living.

The bricks are made by crushing rubble, sieving the debris, then mixing it with materials like clay, ash and glass powder. Low-cost and lightweight, they are designed for non-load-bearing use such as pavements, partitions and garden beds, Farah Mousa told the BBC World Service's Newsday. The sisters tested the blocks by helping a neighbour hold down their tent in poor weather.

They lost their prototype when they were last displaced. "After our entire city turned into rubble, everything around us pushed us to think about a solution," Tala Mousa told the BBC. "Even the view from our tent window became the main motivation," Tala Mousa said.

"We transferred something negative into something positive by refusing to see rubble only as a symbol of destruction and loss. " Farah Mousa and Tala Mousa 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," Farah Mousa told the BBC.

The sisters plan 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 is a youth-focused environmental award. BBC News reported that the prize has already named its regional winners for Europe and Africa. An 18-year-old in Ireland won the Europe regional prize for creating a biodegradable plastic that breaks down safely.

Two 17-year-olds in Kenya received the Africa regional award for developing a low-cost vehicle exhaust system that captures emissions using filters made from natural ingredients. Four regions of the Earth Prize are still to be announced. A public vote will determine the overall winner.

9 million people in Gaza have been displaced since war began in 2023, nearly 90% of Gaza's population. By early 2025, the damage in Gaza was estimated to amount to $70bn (£51bn), with millions of tonnes of rubble lining its streets. The war in Gaza began in 2023, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

About 1,200 people were killed in that attack and 251 others were taken hostage. During Israel's military campaign in Gaza since then, more than 72,700 people have been killed, including 856 since a ceasefire came into force in October 2025, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The ceasefire is part of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war and pledged the territory's reconstruction for the benefit of the people of Gaza.

Humanitarian agencies have said such large-scale reconstruction has not yet begun.