I’m 22 and I lost 22 members of my family, Gaza artist says

3 years ago

22 year old Palestinian artist Zainab Al-Kulak, who lost 22 of her family members in Israeli attacks in 2021, exhibits her paintings in Gaza City, Gaza on May 24, 2022 [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency]

A Palestinian who survived an Israeli attack on her family home which killed her mother and 21 members of her family held an art exhibition in Gaza yesterday showcasing her grief.

Twenty-two-year-old Zainab Al-Kulak’s family home was hit by an Israeli bomb at 1am on 16 May last year. She was left trapped under the rubble with her father for 12 hours.

“I am 22 years old and I lost 22 people,” she said yesterday at the opening of the exhibition which was organised by Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and the United Nations Women in Palestine.

INTERVIEW: Israeli air strikes won’t make us lose hope, Gaza student says after passing exams days after family’s death

A talented artist, Zainab used her skill to embody the suffering she has been subjected to, translating it in vivid pieces that speak to viewers.

Israel’s heavy bombing of the beleaguered coastal enclave in May 2021 claimed the lives of 260 Palestinians, including at least 129 civilians, of whom 66 were children, according to a report by the United Nations.

A Palestinian, Zainab Al-Kulak, who survived an Israeli attack on her family home which killed her mother and 21 members of her family held an art exhibition in Gaza [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

22 year old Palestinian artist Zainab Al-Kulak, who lost 22 of her family members in Israeli attacks in 2021, exhibits her paintings in Gaza City, Gaza on May 24, 2022 [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency]