Resistance Mural Displays Palestine’s Might, Oppression on Ruins of Building after Gaza War

A group of visual artists in the Gaza Strip have painted a mural about Palestine’s resistance against the Zionist regime’s occupation to mark the ninth anniversary of Gaza’s epic resistance against the Zionist occupiers’ aggression during the July 2014 war, known as the ‘Operation Strong Cliff’, and commemorate the memory of the martyrs of the recent battle between the Islamic Jihad Movement and the Zionist regime’s military forces in the battle of ‘Revenge for the Free Men’.

In an interview with Tasnim, Thayer al-Tawil, director of Gaza Fine Arts Center, has expounded on the mural, saying, “This mural is divided into three sections. The main section, as you see, shows a group of fighters that commanded the battle of Revenge for the Free Men, receiving the order for the operation from the special chamber of operation of resistance. At the same time, a rocket launcher is firing rockets at the Israeli cities. This building that attracted great attention after it was targeted and several people died in it is located in Rehovot region. It was hit by the resistance’s missiles directly.”

“The last section of the mural, which is also its most important and expressive part, illustrates the jubilation of our people in the West Bank, the al-Quds city and the 1948 territories. They observe the images of this building which has been destroyed by the missiles of resistance in Gaza. It also shows the city of al-Quds in the center and embracing all Palestinians as the main symbol of the issue of Palestine,” he added.

Mohammed Abulaila, an artist living in Gaza, has talked to Tasnim about the message of this work of art in support of the Palestinian fighters and martyrs.

“Naturally, a Palestinian artist’s responsibility is to narrate a common message or one of the many messages that reveal the cruelty and repression that the occupier forces commit against every human being, every individual or every Palestinian citizen. An artist has the responsibility to try to portray the oppression and the power of resistance of its nation,” Abulaila said.

“In this mural, we have also illustrated the power of resistance and above all, the Quds battalions and resistance in Palestine. We have illustrated the power and might of resistance by creating this mural on the building that was targeted during the battle of Revenge for the Free Men and became the symbol of that battle,” he added.

While the mural was being painted, the representative of the Palestinian administration of youth and culture also came to visit the work of art and express support for the Palestinian nation’s resistance.

Speaking to Tasnim, Ahlam al-Shaeer, director of the cultural heritage and art department of the Palestinian administration of youth and culture said, “The administration of youth and culture plays an important role in supporting arts in Palestine, the art that acts as a strategic and very significant axis in publicizing the Palestinian nation’s conditions which supports resistance. As you see, this mural that is designed by the fine arts center of Palestine depicts the situation of resistance. Here we see the weapons used in the battle of Revenge for the Free Men. We see the popular uprising of the Palestinian nation for revenge for the fighters and commanders of the Palestinian nation in the Quds Battalions and for the children that have been targeted.”

“We support this work of art and mural that has documented the efforts of resistance,” she added.

Tariq Salmi, the spokesman for the Islamic Jihad Movement (Hamas) told Tasnim, “From the viewpoint of the Islamic Jihad Movement of Palestine, this mural contains very important images and significant signals, the most important of which in this picture is al-Quds, which is in fact the heart of battle and the axis of confrontation with the Zionist enemy. It gives the Zionist enemy the important message that nobody would be able to win victory in a confrontation by relying on its crimes and atrocities and what this regime is committing against al-Quds and sanctities.”

“We are talking about an occupier regime that has occupied the territories of the Palestinian nation and has deprived the Palestinian nation of its freedom. As a result, our resistance against the Zionist enemy will continue. The battle of Revenge for the Free Men was indeed one of the endless battles that will end only after the liberation of the territories and the restoration of all rights of Palestinians that have been violated by the Zionist enemy,” he concluded.