A war-torn urban landscape is the perfect place for parkour. Maybe that’s why the Gaza Strip breeds some of the best concrete gymnasts on earth.

Earlier this month, the New York Times  profiled Mohammed al-Jakhbeer and Abed Alla Enshasy, two 20-something residents of Khan Yunis, a southern Gaza town riddled with bullet holes and frequently buzzed over by Israeli drones.

“At first people didn’t accept us,” Enshasy tells the Times. “You jump like monkeys and you climb buildings like thieves,” his neighbors would say.

But now people are beginning to understand — parkour is a sport, one that’s becoming more legitimate every day.

Case in point: The 2012 Cross Urban Scramble, a top-tier Parkour competition involving teams from 40+ countries and taking place in Miami next spring.

Al-Jakhbeer and Enshasy want to enter. But diplomatic red tape and cashflow problems may keep the team from participating. Don’t let that happen. Show them your support at their Facebook page.

Cover Photo Credit: CosminBarbu / Flickr.com