[2026] Anti-war songs in Western music. Songs that wish for peace.

Noam’s Song 2Maor Ashkenazi & Noam Cohen

מאור אשכנזי & נעם כהן – השיר של נעם 2 / Maor Ashkenazi & Noam Cohen – Noam’s Song 2

Israeli rapper Maor Ashkenazi and Noam Cohen, who survived the October 2023 music festival attack despite losing a friend, co-wrote this work—a track that plays like a documentary of a searingly painful experience.

The extreme circumstances of gunfire and explosions, and the survivor’s personal memories, are vividly rendered over a heavy, icy drill beat.

This is not merely an indictment; it is the very cry of a human soul struggling to rise from the brink of death.

Upon its release in November 2023, it reached No.

10 on the charts in Israel.

Rather than seeing it as a distant country’s event, why not reflect on the value of peace as one person’s story?

RajieenMultiple artists

Rajieen | راجعين (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

This track brings together 25 artist groups from 11 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, singing—over a grand sound that weaves hip-hop and soul—of the suffering of people driven from their homelands and their unyielding will to return.

With searing words that indict historical tragedies and the world’s injustices, the powerful declaration, “We will return,” resounds like a cry straight from their souls.

Created in October 2023, the song was produced to support people in Gaza facing a humanitarian crisis, especially children.

Rather than thinking it has nothing to do with you, why not spend eight-plus minutes listening to the urgent hopes poured into this work?

EpiphanyTaylor Swift

Taylor Swift – epiphany (Official Lyric Video)

Taylor Swift sings with empathy for those on the front lines of war and the pandemic.

Featured on the album Folklore, released in July 2020 by the American artist, this work weaves a sweeping narrative that overlays her grandfather’s experiences in World War II with the fight of healthcare workers against COVID-19.

With the aura of a sacred hymn, her ethereal vocals pierce the heart.

This song, which gives voice to the anguish and hope of people living through difficult times, will resonate with all who yearn for peace.

Gaza Is CallingMustafa

Mustafa – Gaza is Calling (Official Video)

A memory of childhood friendship torn apart by violence.

That searing sentiment is captured in a song by Mustafa, a Sudanese-Canadian artist.

A poet as well, he sings here about parting from his Palestinian best friend, an experience he had at the age of eleven.

The plaintive tones of acoustic guitar and the traditional oud seem to voice a deep lament for the violence that even love could not overcome.

Released in June 2024 from the album “Dunya,” the track’s proceeds are being donated in full to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund.

It reframes events in a distant land as the story of a single human being, prompting us to consider what we can do for peace.

Bajo los EscombrosResidente, Amal Murkus

Residente, Amal Murkus – Bajo los escombros (Live Session)

The prayer-like singing that echoes from beneath the rubble makes my chest tighten.

Created by Puerto Rican rapper Residente together with Palestinian singer Amal Murkus, this work is nothing short of a cry from the soul.

Amal Murkus is an activist who continues to advocate for peace and rights through culture.

In this song, Residente’s accusatory rap intersects with Murkus’s Arabic vocals, as if singing of the anguish of people whose everyday lives have been stolen by bombings and their love for their homeland.

Included on the album “Las Letras Ya No Importan,” released in February 2024, the track was postponed from its original release date in response to the humanitarian crisis.

On nights when you feel powerless in the face of events in distant countries, why not listen quietly, alone?

Palestine Will RiseAbe Batshon, Samer & Sammy Shiblaq

Palestine Will Rise by Abe Batshon, Samer & Sammy Shiblaq

This is a track by U.S.-based Palestinian artists Abe Batshon, Sameer, and Sami Siblak.

Set to a powerful hip-hop beat, it’s a protest song infused with solidarity for their homeland and a prayer for peace, portraying a refusal to yield to senseless violence and a fierce cry for their very existence.

Released in February 2024, the work continues the message Abe Batshon has voiced in pieces like “Free Palestine.” Faced with tragedies unfolding far away, it’s easy to feel powerless.

But listening to their soul-stirring cry is surely not in vain.

Instead of thinking it has nothing to do with you, why not lean in and truly hear their voices?

On This Land (feat. SOL Band)Saint Levant

Saint Levant – On This Land feat. SOL Band (Official Visualizer)

Can you imagine the pain and voices of resistance of people driven from their homelands, who have lost any place to return to? The artist San Luvan, who has Palestinian roots and spent his childhood in Gaza, answers that question with music.

The opening track of his debut album DEIRA, released in June 2024, features the Gaza-born Sol Band and powerfully portrays love and dignity tied to the land.

Over a sound where traditional Arab melodies intersect with contemporary rap, the song gives voice to the piercing belief that the pride of a displaced people and the bonds of family are their greatest weapons.

Rather than consuming a distant country’s conflict as news, if you want to receive it as the cry of the souls who live there, this work will resonate in your heart, making the wish for peace feel all the more urgent.