Culture & Society

Palestine Resistance: Art That Disturbs The Comfortable

Pro-Palestinian protesters from Greenpeace France, Oxfam France and other NGOs were seen adding red food colour to the water of The Fontaine des Innocents in Paris on May 28 while holding banners that said, "GAZA: STOP THE BLOODBATH" and "MACRON MUST (FINALLY) ACT", as they called for ceasefire against Israel's war on Gaza. This is not the first time protesters have used art and iconic places to demonstrate against the killing of Gazans by Israeli airstrikes since October 2023. An anti-war art installation of an elderly Iranian man mourning hundreds of shroud-wrapped packages symbolising the dead Palestinian children was set up in Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran. Several artworks depicting Palestine's map can be seen on the streets of Sana'a, Yemen. Another protest art installation was put up in Istanbul of Turkey where several carpets were laid out on the ground as as symbols of identity and collective memories to draw attention to the killings in Gaza.

Israel Palestine war: Pro-Palestinian activists protest in Paris
Pro-Palestinian activists protest in Paris | Photo: LEO VIGNAL/AFP via Getty Images

Pro-Palestinian activists hold a Palestinian flag and placards reading 'Gaza: Emmanuel Macron must act', 'Gaza: Ceasefire' and 'Gaza: Stop the bloodshed' after pouring red paint into the Fountain des Innocents fountain during an demonstration in support of the Palestinian people, in Paris, on May 28, 2025. Several NGOs carried out a symbolic action in Paris on May 28, 2025, where they colored the water of a fountain red to say "stop the bloodshed" in the Gaza Strip besieged by Israel and denounce the "slowness of France" to act.

2/14
Israel Palestine war: Bilal Abu Nahl
Bilal Abu Nahl | Photo: Hassan Jedi/Anadolu via Getty Images

Bilal Abu Nahl, a 26-year-old hearing-impaired resident of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, continues to pursue his art despite ongoing Israeli attacks, on October 22, 2024. Abu Nahl has turned a small roadside tent into a studio where he paints portraits of children who lost their lives in the attacks on Gaza. He uses his art as a means of communication, expressing his love for Gaza through his paintings.

3/14
Israel Palestine war: Art installation Poignant near Hagia Sophia Mosque
Art installation 'Poignant' near Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque | Photo: Cem Tekkesinoglu/Anadolu via Getty Images

An aerial view of carpet art installation 'Poignant' placed in a plot near Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkiye on November 06, 2024. The installation draws the attention of visitors to the war in Gaza, as artists reference carpets as symbols of identity, collective memories and shared experiences. The carpets are used as silent witnesses to the destruction of war.

4/14
Israel Palestine war: Exhibition by British artist Tom Young in Lebanon
Exhibition by British artist Tom Young in Lebanon | Photo: Mahmut Geldi/Anadolu via Getty Images

A view from the exhibition by British artist Tom Young, showcasing paintings depicting the immense destruction and human suffering in Lebanon and Gaza caused by Israel's heavy bombardment, on display at the historic Turkish bath in Sidon, Lebanon on March 17, 2025.

5/14
Israel Palestine war: Anti-war art installation in Tehran
Anti-war art installation in Tehran | Photo: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

An elderly Iranian man mourns while sitting next to the shroud-wrapped packages, which are part of an anti-war art installation symbolizing the bodies of Palestinian children, at Palestine Square in downtown Tehran, November 13, 2023.

6/14
Israel Palestine war: Syrian graffiti artist Aziz Esmer
Syrian graffiti artist Aziz Esmer | Photo: Izettin Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images

Syrian graffiti artist Aziz Esmer paints the Al Jazeera correspondent Vail ed-Dahduh, who lost his son Hamza in Israeli attacks on Gaza, and the Palestinian flag on a school wall to show solidarity in Idlib, Syria on January 10, 2024.

7/14
Israel Palestine war: Exhibition Bulletproof Dreams: Gaza child painters in Istanbul
Exhibition named ''Bulletproof Dreams: Gaza child painters' in Istanbul | Photo: Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images

People visit exhibition named ''Bulletproof Dreams: Gaza child painters' at the end of the second day of symposium, organized by the Turkish Presidency Directorate of Communications, focused on media's challenges in the Gaza War in Istanbul, Turkiye on January 27, 2024. Unveiling Truth in the Gaza War: Media's Battle with Violence, Disinformation, and Censorship Symposium Concluded with a tour of the 'Bulletproof Dreams: Gaza Child Painters Exhibition' for participants.

8/14
Israel Palestine war: Exhibition of artworks in West Bank
Exhibition of artworks in West Bank | Photo: Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images

Visitors observe the exhibition curated with 286 works from 100 Gazan artists, which aims to display the agonies, daily life, and struggles of Palestinians focusing on the period after October 7, in Ramallah, West Bank on February 13, 2024.

9/14
Israel Palestine war: Alexsandro Palombos mural
Alexsandro Palombo's mural | Photo: Sheila Gallerani/Archivio Sheila Gallerani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

A man observes Alexsandro Palombo's mural, Gaza The Palestinian Simpsons. It depicts the Simpsons family in which Homer Simpson appears with his son Bart in his arms at his feet Marge, Lisa and Maggie. The work is a reaction from the artist to the Isreal/Hamas conflict in Milan (Italy), March 8th, 2024.

10/14
Israel Palestine war: Palestinian sculptor Ramazan Ahmed
Palestinian sculptor Ramazan Ahmed | Photo: Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images

Palestinian sculptor Ramazan Ahmed, who lives in a tent with his family and who carved important structures destroyed during the Israeli army's attacks in the Gaza Strip on rock pieces, shows a work he completed in Khan Yunis, Gaza on July 20, 2024.

11/14
Israel Palestine war: Installation titled Education Under Siege in Qatar
Installation titled ''Education Under Siege' in Qatar | Photo: Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images

People walk past an installation titled ''Education Under Siege'' during the 5th Observance of the UN International Day to Protect Education from Attack at Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) in Doha, Qatar, on September 9, 2024.

12/14
Israel Palestine war: Square of the Hamas Hostages in Germany
"Square of the Hamas Hostages" installation at Bebelplatz in Germany | Photo: Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images

A man looks at artwork depicting the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza as part of the "Square of the Hamas Hostages" installation at Bebelplatz in Berlin, Germany on October 6, 2024. People are taking to the streets across Berlin and other cities in Germany today to commemorate the 1,139 people killed and approximately 250 kidnapped in the Hamas incursions on October 7, 2023. Other marches are also taking place to protest against Israel's heavy-handed response in Gaza that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians.

13/14
Israel Palestine war: Artworks depicting Palestines map in Yemen
Artworks depicting Palestine's map in Yemen | Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images

People are seen near artworks depicting Palestine's map daubed on a street in solidarity with people in Gaza on October 15, 2024, in Sana'a, Yemen.

14/14
Israel Palestine war: Gaza painting exhibition in Iraq
Gaza painting exhibition in Iraq | Photo: Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images

People visit Gaza painting exhibition held to show solidarity with Palestinian people suffering under Israeli attacks, in Baghdad, Iraq on December 10, 2024. The exhibition showcased artworks not only by Iraqi artists but also by painters from various other countries.

CLOSE