Dalal Abu Amneh: A Musician, A Neurologist

She is a Palestinian singer, producer, and a PhD researcher in neurology from the Haifa Institute of Technology, the Technion.

Dalal Abu Amneh was born in Nazareth on 9 August, 1983 and became captivated by science and music at a young age. In music, Dalal got to be known for her melodious voice and ability to perform various musical styles.

In this she forged a global Palestinian identity producing all of her musical projects while making three albums: “Ya Baladi,” “Ya Sitti,” and “Nour,” underlined in the spirit and heritage of the Palestinian and Arab people while at the same developing didactic vocal styles including classical Tarab, Andalusian singing, Sufi spiritual chanting, and her revival of Palestinian and Levantine folk traditions.

Dalal grew up in an artistic family. Her mother, Juhaina Al-Hawari, has a beautiful voice but has not pursued a professional musical career, but looked after her children. Her father, Ghazi Abu Amneh, plays the oud and owns a fish restaurant. She has four sisters: Nida, Salam, Jihan, and Faten. Salam and Jihan work in the arts and singing, while Nida and Faten work in visual arts due to their hearing impairments.

Dalal began singing at the age of four, participating in the Princess of Spring competition and winning the title in 1987 with her song “Maryam Maryamti.” By the age of 16, she was known for her masterful performances of classical Arabic songs and traditional roles, in addition to her renditions of Palestinian and Levantine folk songs. Leading musicians in the Arab world, such as Salah El Sharnouby and Asala Nasri, have praised her voice, which they said blends authenticity with modernity.

Dalal is commited to socially-conscious art and is working to develop Palestinian art scene in a way to preserve its authenticity while appealing to younger generations and western audiences to strengthen Palestinian identity and support the Palestinian cause.

Over the years, Dalal participated in major international and Arab festivals, such as the Jerash Festival and the Arab Music Festival at the Cairo Opera House and represented Palestine in several Arab operettas, including “Land of the Prophets” (2012) and “Call of Freedom” (2014).

She also regularly participates in cultural and artistic events locally, regionally, and internationally. In addition to her performances with her own band, Dalal is the principal singer of the MESTO World Orchestra, performing traditional Arab and Palestinian songs with western musicians and orchestral arrangements worldwide.

Dalal released several popular songs, including “Ana Qalbi wa Rouhi Fidaak” (My Heart and Soul Are Yours) in 2001, with lyrics by Adnan Abbasi, music by Alaa Azzam, and arrangement by Habib Shehadeh. It was recorded at Karam Matar Studios.

She also released “Khallini Fi Balak” (Keep Me in Mind) in 2003 and two albums: “Kareem Ya Ramadan” (Generous Ramadan) in 2007 and “An Baladi” (About My Country) in 2013, an album that explores Palestine from various perspectives and through diverse musical styles.

One of her songs, “Ain Al-Adhraa” (The Virgin’s Eye), was a radio hit, and “Bokra Jadeed” (Tomorrow is New) was among the five songs selected for the Euromed International Festival in 2006. Dalal, also known as Amna, combined her artistic career with her academic studies.

She graduated from the Bishop’s School (Clerical School) in Nazareth in 2001. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science and Psychology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, followed by a MA degree. She was then accepted to study medicine at the Technion in Haifa.

She became the first Palestinian Arab to study this specialized field, which combines computer science, medicine, biology, biophysics, psychology, and philosophy. In 2006, she enrolled in the graduate program at the Technion where she earned a MSC degree in Medical Sciences, specializing in neuroscience.

In 2011, she began working as a researcher and doctoral candidate at the same institute in the field of neuroscience, where she is developing a new technological method for treating chronic neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

She is a Palestinian singer, producer, and a PhD researcher in neurology from the Haifa Institute of Technology, the Technion.

Dalal Abu Amneh was born in Nazareth on 9 August, 1983 and became captivated by science and music at a young age. In music, Dalal got to be known for her melodious voice and ability to perform various musical styles.

In this she forged a global Palestinian identity producing all of her musical projects while making three albums: “Ya Baladi,” “Ya Sitti,” and “Nour,” underlined in the spirit and heritage of the Palestinian and Arab people while at the same developing didactic vocal styles including classical Tarab, Andalusian singing, Sufi spiritual chanting, and her revival of Palestinian and Levantine folk traditions.

Dalal grew up in an artistic family. Her mother, Juhaina Al-Hawari, has a beautiful voice but has not pursued a professional musical career, but looked after her children. Her father, Ghazi Abu Amneh, plays the oud and owns a fish restaurant. She has four sisters: Nida, Salam, Jihan, and Faten. Salam and Jihan work in the arts and singing, while Nida and Faten work in visual arts due to their hearing impairments.

Dalal began singing at the age of four, participating in the Princess of Spring competition and winning the title in 1987 with her song “Maryam Maryamti.” By the age of 16, she was known for her masterful performances of classical Arabic songs and traditional roles, in addition to her renditions of Palestinian and Levantine folk songs. Leading musicians in the Arab world, such as Salah El Sharnouby and Asala Nasri, have praised her voice, which they said blends authenticity with modernity.

Dalal is commited to socially-conscious art and is working to develop Palestinian art scene in a way to preserve its authenticity while appealing to younger generations and western audiences to strengthen Palestinian identity and support the Palestinian cause.

Over the years, Dalal participated in major international and Arab festivals, such as the Jerash Festival and the Arab Music Festival at the Cairo Opera House and represented Palestine in several Arab operettas, including “Land of the Prophets” (2012) and “Call of Freedom” (2014).

She also regularly participates in cultural and artistic events locally, regionally, and internationally. In addition to her performances with her own band, Dalal is the principal singer of the MESTO World Orchestra, performing traditional Arab and Palestinian songs with western musicians and orchestral arrangements worldwide.

Dalal released several popular songs, including “Ana Qalbi wa Rouhi Fidaak” (My Heart and Soul Are Yours) in 2001, with lyrics by Adnan Abbasi, music by Alaa Azzam, and arrangement by Habib Shehadeh. It was recorded at Karam Matar Studios.

She also released “Khallini Fi Balak” (Keep Me in Mind) in 2003 and two albums: “Kareem Ya Ramadan” (Generous Ramadan) in 2007 and “An Baladi” (About My Country) in 2013, an album that explores Palestine from various perspectives and through diverse musical styles.

One of her songs, “Ain Al-Adhraa” (The Virgin’s Eye), was a radio hit, and “Bokra Jadeed” (Tomorrow is New) was among the five songs selected for the Euromed International Festival in 2006. Dalal, also known as Amna, combined her artistic career with her academic studies.

She graduated from the Bishop’s School (Clerical School) in Nazareth in 2001. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science and Psychology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, followed by a MA degree. She was then accepted to study medicine at the Technion in Haifa.

She became the first Palestinian Arab to study this specialized field, which combines computer science, medicine, biology, biophysics, psychology, and philosophy. In 2006, she enrolled in the graduate program at the Technion where she earned a MSC degree in Medical Sciences, specializing in neuroscience.

In 2011, she began working as a researcher and doctoral candidate at the same institute in the field of neuroscience, where she is developing a new technological method for treating chronic neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

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When Will The Israeli Bombs Stop Falling?

The Gaza Heath Ministry announced, Thursday, a Palestinian was killed and five others wounded in the past 24 hours. It further stated that the  total number of Palestinians killed and wounded since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on the enclave since 8 October, 2023, rose to 73,382, with 174,236 injured. It added that thousands of bodies remain under the rubble and in the streets with ambulance and civil defense teams unable to reach them. The ministry also clarified since the ceasefire agreement came into effect on 11 October, the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli violations reached 1,255, in addition to 4,125 wounded. The bodies of 806 missing persons have been recovered from under the rubble.

Since 8 October, 2023, Israel, with American and European support, has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, including killing, starvation, destruction, displacement, arrest, and disease, ignoring international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt its actions. This genocide has left more than 247,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing. In addition, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and famine has claimed the lives of many, mostly children. Furthermore, the Gaza Strip has suffered widespread destruction, with most of its cities and towns effectively erased from the map.

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Is Eyal Zamir ‘Restricting’ Raids on Gaza?

Israel’s official Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) claimed, Tuesday, that Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered a restriction on airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. It stated he is now stipulating his prior approval for targeted assassinations of specific Palestinians.

However, it is also thought that the latest directive does not mean a halt to the military strikes, allowing the current Israeli forces in Gaza to continue them to stop any “immediate threats,” according to unnamed sources in the Israeli army’s Southern Command.

This comes as a result of pressure exerted by the “Council for Peace” for Israel to stop its attacks, with the aim of seeking ways to implement the roadmap of the next phase of the ceasefire agreement.

On Monday, the High Representative of the Council for Peace, Nikolay Mladenov, and the Council’s advisor, US official Aryeh Lightstone, asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the airstrikes on Gaza, in accordance with plan put forwards by US President Donald Trump last year.

As a result Kan reported that Zamir has “directed, in recent days, a restriction in attacks on the Strip.”

It quoted an unnamed security source as saying: “The forces operating in the Gaza Strip will be able to continue thwarting any immediate threat should danger be perceived.”

The source claimed that assassinating Palestinians whom Israel alleges were involved in the 7 October, 2023 attacks, but who do not pose an immediate threat, would require prior approval from Zamir.

The agency also quoted an unnamed military source as saying that the Israeli army “implements decisions at the political level.”

However, and contrary to talk of restricting airstrikes, the Israeli army killed two Palestinians, Monday evening, in an airstrike that targeted their vehicle in the Sheikh Ajlin area, southwest of Gaza City.

The bombing came hours after Mladenov and his team called on Netanyahu to stop the attacks, marking the first Israeli airstrike following the request.

Israel also killed 18 Palestinians in separate airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, one of the deadliest days since the ceasefire agreement came into effect.

On Monday, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey affirmed that the continuation of Israeli attacks constitutes a violation of the agreement and undermines efforts to implement its second phase.

Trump announced, Thursday, that an understanding had been reached regarding the implementation of the next phase of the agreement, while the “Peace Council” published the text of the roadmap on Friday.

The roadmap stipulates Israel cease its military operations, followed by the deployment of the Palestinian National Authority’s Gaza Administration and the international stabilization force, and the commencement of a phased process for dismantling and storing heavy weapons and dismantling tunnels, concurrent with a phased Israeli withdrawal.

It also stipulates that the weapons be placed under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority and not be handed over to Israel or any non-Palestinian entity.

However, the Middle East Peace Council stated in a statement issued after the meeting between Mladenov and Netanyahu, Monday, that a complete Israeli withdrawal beyond the “yellow line” will only occur after the dismantling of light and heavy weapons and tunnels is completed.

This differs from the text of the roadmap published on Friday, which links the dismantling of weapons to a phased Israeli withdrawal and requires Israel to first fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, primarily the cessation of military operations.

In its response, Hamas stated that it adheres to what was agreed upon regarding the implementation of the second phase, including the obligations of all parties, and that it awaits a clear and official response from Mladenov and the mediators.

Two days ago, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted an unnamed Israeli source as saying that Tel Aviv had informed the “Peace Council” of its rejection of three points in the Road Map.

These points relate to the non-destruction of weapons collected from Hamas, the participation of Qatar and Turkey in verifying the implementation of the Road Map, and the denial of freedom of action to the Israeli army in areas whose responsibility would be transferred to the international stabilization force.

Israel insists on not withdrawing completely before the dismantling of all weapons and tunnels, while it continues to occupy 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, amidst ongoing airstrikes and the killing of Palestinians.

Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect on 10 October, 2025, Israeli military attacks killed 1,252 Palestinians and injured 4,120 others, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

The agreement came after two years of a war of genocide launched by Israel on 8 October, 2023, which left more than 73,000 Palestinians dead and 174,000 wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure according to Anadolu.

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