Israeli maestro Barenboim performs in Gaza

Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim has broken new ground by leading a group of Europen classical musicians in a “peace concert” in Gaza.

The concert, attended by hundreds of Palestinians, many of them school children, was the first by an international classical ensemble in the beleagured territory.

Musicians from some of Europe’s top orchestras performed Mozart's “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” and the Symphony No. 40, as part of their “Orchestra for Gaza” performance, news agency Reuters reported.

“We are very happy to come to Gaza. We are playing this concert as a sign of our solidarity and friendship with the civil society of Gaza,” Barenboim said in a statement on his website.

The 25 musicians crossed into the coastal enclave through Egypt, via the Rafah border crossing amid tight security. Israel forbids its citizens from travelling from its own soil into Gaza.

Barenboim, a noted supporter of Palestinian rights, has for years used music to promote understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. The conductor, who is also musical director of Berlin’s revered Deutsche Staatsoper, was given honorary Palestinian citizenship in 2008 after he set up an orchestra consisting of young Arab and Israeli musicians, called the East-West Diva orchestra.

They performed in the West Bank city of Ramallah in 2005. He has become a controversial figure in Israel because of his opposition to its occupation of the West Bank.

Barenboim was greeted with thunderous applause as he entered the hall of the al-Mathaf Cultural House, the BBC reported.

He said the classical players were all “tremendously good musicians … who care about humanity.”

Introducing the event, Barenboim said the concert was taking place because “these are people who care about you, this is why we are here today,” Reuters reported.

The Israeli government has previously blocked Barenboim’s efforts to perform in Gaza, which is governed by the Islamist group Hamas, a group Israel regards as a terrorist organisation.

The impoverished coastal strip has been subjected to a crippling Israeli blockade since 2006. The embargo was eased somewhat last year following international outrage over the killing of Turkish activists on an aid flotilla.

"This visit is very important to us for many reasons, both cultural and civil," Ibrahim al-Najjar, director of al-Qattan music school, told the AFP news agency.

"And from a political perspective, it is important to show that Gaza is a safe place," he added.

The event was organised by the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).