Two years ago, a rap battle in Hebrew and Palestinian Arabic became viral. The men behind it were friends despite being from different backgrounds.

Uriya Rosenman is an Israeli Jewish educator, Sameh Zakout is a Palestinian Israeli singer and actor. Together they create music and advocate for coexistence.

Uriya’s friends were murdered and kidnapped in the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, and in the following bombardment of Gaza Sameh lost family members. Despite their grief, they continue to believe there should be another path of peace.

“People want an easy solution. They want to write something on a sign and to chant. Either you are pro-Israel or pro-Palestine,” says Uriya. “It’s hard to live in complexity,” adds Sameh, “people are being manipulated and people are playing with our lives.”

BBC News talked with both of them about how they are coping with the conflict and keeping their friendship.

Video Journalist: Anastassia Zlatopolskai

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