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Messages of allegiance and defiance: the murals of Gaza

Behind the iron grip which Israel maintains on the Gaza Strip, there exists a vibrant tradition of painting murals and graffiti on outdoor walls. The origins and contemporary form of this tradition are considered in this article. The painting of murals and graffiti in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has its roots in the first intifada which began in 1987. As part of the resistance to Israeli occupation and repression, young people, at great personal risk, mobilised popular support through their clandestine artwork. The second intifada, beginning in 2000, saw the rise of Hamas as a force to be reckoned with, not least in terms of the increasing sophistication of its murals and graffiti, which paid special attention to calligraphy. Finally, with the departure of Israeli soldiers and settlers in 2005 and the takeover of Hamas in the Gaza Strip in 2007 this organisation came to dominate the walls. Murals in Gaza today cover a number of themes: Israeli oppression, Palestinian resistance, martyrs, prisoners and Palestinian aspirations – in particular, freedom and statehood, and the right to return.