A young Palestinian rapper called MC Abdul has recently gone viral for his collection of emotive songs concerning the Israel and Hamas conflict.

His music frequently centres on the plight of his compatriots and has written a number of hit songs that touch on the atrocities of war that he has witnessed first-hand.

Posting on Instagram from the US - where he recently moved to - Abdul, 15, spoke of the carnage and destruction in the Gaza Strip and shared how a friend was recently killed.

"Right now, I am living my dream in the USA. But right now, my family back in Gaza are living a nightmare," Abdul, real name Abdulrahman Al-Shantti, wrote. "I can't help but feel guilty here and not being able to hug and protect my siblings.

"I have clean water, electricity to charge my phone and safety. They don't. As crazy as it sounds, I wish I could be back home in Gaza to be with them but I can't. My friend was killed yesterday. We used to play basketball together. He was just a kid. Like Me.

“So right now, I am gonna keep my people and country in my heart while I create and remind myself that the spirit of Palestine is the motivation for not only my music but everything I do. Please pray for Palestine.”

Who is MC Abdul?

MC Abdul's debut song 'Palestine' went viral back in 2021 and caught the attention of Palestinian-American entrepreneur Ghazi Shami, who promptly signed him.

Abdul's most recent post comes on the back of the release of The Pen & The Sword last month, a reflective song which looks at the lost dreams of youth in Gaza.

“You should be building more schools not prisons / They bombed us. It ain't even make the news in y’all city,” he raps. “He could’ve been a scholar but he’s a child of Gaza. Missile hit his home and crushed it killed his ba ba (father).”

In a 2021 interview with Nafar for Variety, Abdul recalled that it was listening to Eminem's Not Afraid, aged five, that sparked his interest in rap and, despite his potent lyrics, he doesn't view himself as a political artist.

“My message is about peace. Not the political side of it,” he said.

“I don’t understand what politics is – the thing I’m trying to say is that I want the children of the world to live in peace and harmony and I want to be the voice of the children in Palestine.

“I want to show people about my life, and what it means to be a rapper in Gaza City.”