“I am 22 and I lost 22 members of my family”: Gaza survivor holds art exhibition depicting her tragic story

Occupied Palestine  – Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and UN Women Palestine have organized a two-day art exhibition, featuring powerful and emotive paintings made by a Palestinian girl who survived an Israeli attack on her family home which killed her mother and 21 members of her family in May 2021.

Titled “I am 22, I lost 22 people” and held at Euro-Med Monitor’s regional office in Gaza, the exhibition showed paintings made by the fine artist and research intern at Euro-Med Monitor, Zainab al-Qolaq, who lost 22 members of her family, including her mother and three of her siblings in an Israeli airstrike on her home.

In the two-day exhibition, al-Qolaq displayed nine pieces she painted following the attack, in which she depicted the suffering she endured from the moment her house was bombed, her 12-hour stay under the rubble, to finding out that she lost 22 members of her family.

She also portrayed life situations and internal struggles that she has experienced since that time.

“Each of these paintings portrays moments and situations that words cannot express. They are things that are difficult to describe or even imagine,” Zainab Al-Qolaq said.

She added, “Through painting, I was able to express a small part of what I lived on that day and after. This exhibition, which contains my paintings and texts, is my voice that I seek to be heard by everyone.”

For her part, Maha Hussaini, Strategy Director at Euro-Med Monitor, said: “Despite our deep sorrow for what happened with Zainab and her family, we are proud of her courage and determination to overcome the trauma and speak firmly of what happened to her. She is truly an inspiring model for a strong survivor.”

On 16 May 2021, Israeli aircrafts targeted several adjacent residential buildings on al-Wahda Street, which led to the complete destruction of a number of buildings, killing 43 civilians, including 14 women and 19 children, and wounding 50 others.