GAZA ARTISTS
Refaat Alareer
Poet
Writer, activist, and poet from Gaza. Dr Refaat Alareer was also a professor at University of Gaza and co-founder of “We are Not Numbers,” a project that mentors and supports the young writers of Gaza to tell their stories to the world. Refaat was killed with his brother, sister and four of her children in a targeted airstrike on Refaat’s sister’s house in Gaza City on December 6th. His final poem, "If I Must Die" has been translated into 185 languages and counting.
Yusuf Dawas
Journalist/musician
Writer, journalist, photographer and musician Yusuf Dawas was an active member of the We Are Not Numbers collective. He wrote in English and Arabic and made videos expressing his dreams to travel and explore the world. He was killed with several members of his family in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on October 14.
Mohammed Zaher Hamo
writer
“We Are Not Numbers”
Inas al Saqa
Theatre
A Palestinian playwright, actor and beacon of Gaza's theatre community who also worked with children to teach them about theatre and acting. Saqa and three of her children were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza city on October 31.
Hiba Al-Madhoon
writer
"O God , how much I had imagined the war before , and how much I had imagined that Gaza was the sacrifice offered for the awakening of the Ummah. But never in my life did I imagine that the sacrifice would be made and the Ummah would still not wake up.”
Muhammed Sami Qariqa
visual artist
Mohammed Sami Qreqe' / Muhammed Sami Qariqa was a 24-year old digital artist. Since the age of 14, he had been dedicated to portraying, through images, paintings and documentaries, the resilience of Gazans. He dreamt of one day flying in a plane to capture Gaza from the sky above. He was killed on October 17th when a missile hit the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, killing hundreds of Palestinians sheltering there. He was trying to calm the children, by singing them songs and doing drawings.
Hiba Abu Nada
Poet
Novelist, poet, and educator Heba Abu Nada, a beloved figure in the Palestinian literary community and the author of the novel Oxygen is Not for the Dead, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza on October 20.
Nour al-Din Hajjaj
Novelist/Playwright
Nour al-Din Hajjaj was a playwright and novelist who wrote the play, The Gray Ones in 2022, and the novel, Wings That Do Not Fly in 2021. He was active in the "Cultural Passion" initiative, the Cordoba Association, and the Days of Theatre Foundation. He was killed by Israeli airstrike in his home in Al-Shujaiyya on December 2.
Saleem Al-Naffar
poet
"O My Lovers"
"Life"
"Departure"
"Drawing Class"
Heba Zaghout
painter
As an educator and artist, Heba Zaghout dedicated her life to documenting Palestinian heritage in vibrant paintings, even as it faced erasure and threat. Her works are profound, rich in beauty and detail, reflecting the spirit of the Palestinian people. Through her paintings, she connected the region to art lovers across the rest of the world, and supported her family of six. Zaghout was killed in an Israeli airstrike with two of her four children on October 13.
Dr. Nasser Ismael Al-Yafawi
writer
“The Great March of Return”
Halima al-Kahlout
visual artist
Halima al-Kahlout was a 28-year old painter who helped bring beauty and solace to the Gazan community through her mural painting. Halima worked as an art facilitator with the Palestinian Ministry of Culture and collaborated with various art centers. She murdered by an Israeli air strike on October 29th.
Omar Abu Shawish
Poet
Novelist, poet and journalist Omar Abu Shawish was a dedicated social activist at Nuseirat refugee camp where he was killed by Israeli airstrike on October 7. He wrote several poetry collections, a novel as well as award-winning humanitarian songs that spread widely,.
Khalil Abu Yahia
Scholar/Activist
Khalil was a scholar and activist who researched the impacts of climate change on the Gaza Strip. Khalil was killed in Gaza City by an Israeli airstrike along with his wife and daughters on October 30.
Mustafa Al-Sawwaf
writer/political analyst
Mustafa Al-Sawaf was one of the most prominent media analysts on Palestinian political affairs, having authored hundreds of articles. He served as the editor-in-chief of several newspapers and was founder and editor-in-chief of the first daily newspaper published in the Gaza Strip.His many books include Days of Rage (2005), There Was a Householder (2017), and Hamas From Memory (2017). He was killed along with his wife and two of his children when an Israeli shell struck their home in Gaza on November 18.
Elham Farah
music/poetry
84-year-old Elham Farah was a musician, retired music teacher and beloved elder from one of the oldest Christian families in Gaza. She played the violin and the organ, but lovedthe accordion. She was killed by an Israeli sniper as she returned to her apartment to gather some warmer clothes on November 12th.
Ahed Abu Hamda
Theatre
Ahed Abu Hamda was a theatre artist and a drama teacher who worked with Theatre Day, a Gaza-based community theatre. He was killed by Israeli forces amid air strikes on the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza over Christmas.
Islam Abu Ghazaleh
visual artist
Islam Abu Ghazaleh was a microbiologist and an artist with a talent for drawing. She dreamed of pursuing a PhD in Early Childhood Education. She was killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike on November 8.