The “100 Paintings from Gaza” exhibition includes paintings by artists from the Gaza Strip that shed light on the reality of cultural life as a result of the Israeli war (Anatolia)

Last Wednesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Culture opened the “100 Paintings from Gaza” exhibition by artists from the Gaza Strip, to shed light on the reality of cultural life and what the Palestinian people are exposed to as a result of the ongoing Israeli war since October 7, 2023.

The organizers of the exhibition, which continues until next Tuesday evening, said, “The paintings are among the few surviving paintings from the Israeli war, including a painting by the martyr Palestinian artist Heba Zaqout.”

The exhibition was opened in the Galilee Hall of the Museum of the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish in the city of Ramallah (central), in the presence of the Minister of Culture Atef Abu Seif, Sabri Saidam, Deputy Secretary of the Central Committee of the Fatah Movement, and artists and writers.

Abu Saif said, in a speech during the opening, that “the paintings were brought before the Israeli aggression to be displayed in exhibitions in the West Bank and other places to highlight what Gaza offers to Palestinian culture.”

The Palestinian Minister of Culture visits the “100 Paintings from Gaza” exhibition (Anatolia)

He added, "But today these paintings are considered survivors of the ongoing Israeli war on all components of the Palestinian people."

Abu Saif pointed out that the war completely destroyed and destroyed all the paintings and ceremonies in the Gaza Strip, and he said that art lost thousands of paintings.

He pointed to one of the paintings in the exhibition and said, "This is the only surviving painting by the Palestinian artist Heba Zaqout, who was martyred in an Israeli bombing in Gaza City."

Fine art paintings at the “100 Paintings from Gaza” exhibition in Ramallah (Anatolia)

Minister Abu Saif pointed out that “the Ministry of Culture today acquires the painting of the artist Zaqout.”

He stated that "the exhibition is an attempt to draw the world's attention to the war and genocide taking place in Gaza."

Visitors from Ramallah and outside Palestine at the “100 Paintings from Gaza” exhibition (Anatolia)

In turn, Saidam said, "The exhibition is an attempt to take the world into the world of life in Gaza, and it is a message of hope and insistence on survival and steadfastness."

He added, "Our people in the Gaza Strip are under daily bombardment. Every day, the family loses martyrs."

He continued, "What the Palestinian does not lose is hope, and we tell the children that perhaps homes have been wiped out and history has disappeared, but vibrant minds remain determined to continue returning to life."

Paintings from the “100 Paintings from Gaza” exhibition (Anatolia)

Saidam pointed to the painting by the artist, the martyr Zaqout, and said, "It no longer has a price. Today it is more expensive than all prices because it embodies the sweet scent of the martyrs."

On the sidelines of the exhibition, the Palestinian artist Abdel Hadi Yaish began painting a portrait of the late artist Zaqout.

He told Anatolia, "There was cooperation between me and Zagout, and I organized exhibitions for her in several locations, and her dream was to open her own exhibition there, but the Israeli death machine killed her."

Abdul Hadi Yaish indicated that he was able to obtain the last painting by the artist Zaqout, noting that the rest of her works were destroyed as a result of the Israeli bombing. He added, "We are trying to deliver the message of Heba, and all the artists and our people in Gaza."

A painting of the Dome of the Rock Mosque and the city of Jerusalem in the “100 Paintings from Gaza” exhibition (Anatolia)

The Ministry of Culture displayed a picture of Zaqout in a special corner of the exhibition, which included works by 24 artists, the majority of whom were displaced to the Rafah Governorate, south of the Gaza Strip.

Zaqout was killed in an Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip on October 15, 2023.

Since October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that, as of Wednesday, left more than 27,000 martyrs and more than 67,000 injured, most of them children and women, according to the Palestinian authorities, and caused “massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to the United Nations.

Source: Anadolu Agency