In the midst of the ruins of destroyed homes and echoes of air strikes, gauze artists sit with brushes in their hand, turning despair into defiance. Flour bags become canvas, humanitarian aid boxes turn into portraits, and every stroke tells the story.
For over 76 years, Israeli occupation has been a threat to Palestinian culture by displacing and destruction. But even in spite of the current war, in which Israel killed more than 61,700 PalestiniansGaza artists refuse to disappear.
And some of the enclave artists managed to turn pain into hope, showing the sharp reality of war and displacement. With limited resources, they continue to produce, saying that their art reflects the will to survive.
Cultural devastation in Gaza involves the destruction of dozens of cultural centers, museums and artifacts, including ancient ceramics and manuscripts. The assistance, which began on January 19, gave a break, but experts believe that the full extent of the damage is unknown.
In the latest official report on the situation, the Palestinian Central Institute for Statistics and the Ministry of Culture said in March that 45 writers and artists had been killed in Gaza since the conflict had erupted on October 7, 2023 and 32 cultural centers and 12 museums and 12 museums. The numbers are probably far higher now.
Among those who were killed is an artist Mahasen al-khateebwho died in October at the Israeli Air strike at the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. She was killed with the whole family.
Attempt to ‘delete’ Palestinian culture
While the Israeli army consistently claimed that its business focuses on fighters involved in attacks on Israel, artists in Gaza and artistic experts claim that Israel intends to delete Palestinian culture.
Israel “destroyed historical sites and ancient sights, deleting thousands of years of cultural heritage in Gaza,” said Sobhi Quta, visual artist and lecturer at the Al-Aqs University, who also coordinated the Visual Arts Club in Abdel Mohsin al-Qattan Foundation. “Many Palestinian artists have also lost their works, whether bombing their homes or the destruction of cultural centers who have placed these pieces.”
Palestinian art follows its roots to Byzantine influences and developed through the Islamic tradition. After 1967, when Israel began to occupy Gaza, art became a strong resistance means of artists such as Kamal Boullata and Suleiman Mansour using his work to confirm the Palestinian identity in the midst of profession.
Artistic education was involved in the academic landscape of Gaza in the mid-1990s with the program of the Fine Arts of the Al-Aqsa University. The art scene quickly grew, the Eltiqa group for contemporary art launched in 2002 as the first space of modern art in Gaza, followed by Shababeek for contemporary art in 2009. Despite the conflict and blockade of Gaza by Israel, the Gaza Art Community succeeded. But all the main artistic spaces-eltiqa, Shababeek and Al-Aqsa-Ozrael destroyed in the war.
Quiet testimony of struggle
Hussein al-Jerjawi, 18, endured the displacement five times due to the war. And the conflict cost him the entire academic year.
The war was deeply influenced by his artistic journey and turned to the unconventional medium: Humanitarian flour bags like canvas. His images of survival symbols in the besieged country show cracks, cracks and other symbols that reflect the broken existence of those in Gaza.
“When I paint a bag with flour, I feel like I write our history with a brush dipped in suffering and resistance,” Al-Jerjawi said.
Choosing a help bag is a natural response to the scarcity of traditional arts in Gaza, Al-Jerjawi said.
“In a refugee tent, surrounded by an empty UNrow Flour bags, I decided to paint them to catch the pain in the war and my displacement story, “he said, referring to the Assistance and Work Agency Agency for Palestinian Refugees, the main agency for assistance to Palestinians.
Despite the war, Al-Jerjawi participated in art exhibitions and workshops, including visual artists with the Qattan IU Shababeek Foundation. One of his paintings is shown on the occupied west coast in the Qattan Gallery, operated by the Qattan Foundation, which was key to nurturing the Gaza art community, supporting children in disciplines such as drawing, theater and singing.
“Even after I lost so much, my art remains my defiance,” he said.
Describing one of his paintings, Al -Jerjawi said: “The flour bags are quietly witnessing the stories of the displaced, waiting for survival. With the words printed that emphasize the frozen human condition, raised, squeezed hands – some capturing flour, others empty – speak of a desperate pursuit of hope .
He added that “the faces of the tired and hunger story. Eyes ask not only bread but also for dignity. The faded crowd in the background, like a shadow, is waiting in an endless line.”
Al-Jerjawa considers his art to define Palestinian identity.
“Occupation seeks to erase our culture and identity. But art preserves our memory. Every picture I create is a document, speaking to the world that we are alive, dreaming and sticking to the roots. “
Converting pain to art
Ibrahim Mahn, 19, another Palestinian artist, has turned the boxes for humanitarian aids used to pack food and other basic things into artwork, which he said to embody the pain and resistance of families displaced by war.
“These boxes are not just vessels for food. They have become symbols of the difficult social conditions that we face today, and at the same time reflect our persistence to resist the ability to serve,” Mahna said.
Mahna started using help boxes when traditional artistic stocks became inaccessible because of the war.
From the rough surface of one of his paintings, images of hollow eyes appear, quietly screaming. Behind them, the tents rise in the barren landscape lined with palm trees.
“These faces are my people,” Mahna said.
His work often depicts tents and figures that extend to generations, which reflects the suffering of Palestinians who lost everything.
“The tents have become everything left – a fragile shelter that does not offer protection against the sharpness of nature or the weight of their tragedy,” Mahna said. “The suffering of displaced individuals in these tents inspires me to create more images that document their daily struggles, ensuring that their stories remain proof of their existence.”
He pointed to a woman in the center of one of his paintings, her strong but tired face that embodies Palestinian motherhood.
“Behind her are men and children terrified by war and poverty. These faces symbolize people who refuse to be deleted,” Mahna said.
For a wave, art is resistance and identity: “Occupation not only takes our country. He tries to delete us. Painting on the help boxes allows me to regain our story.”
Qouta said there was no doubt that Israeli occupation was very targeting Palestinian art and culture.
Although Mahna and Al-Jerjawi managed to continue production, Qouta said that the war had left many “artists who were unable to create because of psychological trauma.”
He added, “Many had to focus on the support of their families and find safety.”
