Finding Solace and Expression: How Young Survivors in Gaza Use Art to Escape War

The art space in Deir el-Balah has become a place for young Palestinians to draw and escape the trauma of war. In the Gaza Strip, 16-year-old Maryam sits in front of a blank sheet of paper, holding her pencil as she begins drawing the first lines. Her eyes focus on the details of the drawing while her hand moves calmly. Amid a reality in which Israel's military actions have imposed themselves on the details of everyday life in Gaza, Maryam tries to create a different environment for herself, even if only for a few hours. The paper and pencil give her a chance to step away from the scene around her and return to something she loves and knows well.

Maryam's family's home was bombed in January 2024, and she now lives in her grandmother's house in Deir el-Balah. She has lost friends and people close to her, including her uncle, as a result of attacks during the war. The art space she draws in, located at a cafe on the beach in Deir el-Balah, has become a refuge. "The space helped me return to myself and rediscover my passion for drawing," she says. For Maryam, drawing means more than a hobby. It is a way of putting her feelings onto paper, especially those that are difficult to express in words.

Maryam has been drawing since she was a child, but began attending the art space in April when it was set up. She says that each completed drawing gives her a sense of achievement and opens a small space for hope amid heavy days. Helping children like Maryam is the reason 35-year-old Abdullah al-Ghafri set up the art space and why he is working hard to keep it open, despite expensive rental costs that have him continuously searching for investors.

"The idea was born out of necessity and the difficult reality," al-Ghafri says. "With most educational and cultural centres in Gaza destroyed and bombed, we could not find a place to accommodate the talents of young people and children."

Psychologist Asil Abu Shawish says art can give children and adolescents a way to express their feelings at times of great trauma. "When a child draws, sings or plays an instrument, they are, in a way, releasing some of the pressure and emotions that have built up inside them," she explains. Abu Shawish notes that having a safe space where children can engage in artistic activities can give them a sense of stability amid constantly changing circumstances.

In Nuseirat, at the Palestinian Student Care Association, Jabr Thabet coordinates activities with the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, where children gather around their instruments and learn singing and music. "We are trying to bring music to children wherever they are, even if the place changes and the centres are damaged," Thabet says. The conservatory's Gaza City location was damaged during the war, and its teachers have continued their activities in displacement areas, including Nuseirat, Deir el-Balah, and Gaza City itself. Thabet emphasizes that for them, art is a form of resilience.