Artists decry Israel offensive against Gaza Strip

A collection of artworks on the Israeli military strikes against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip created by international cartoonists and artists has been put on show in the occupied West Bank, Press TV reports.

Organized by the Mahmoud Darwish Museum, the exhibition in the West Bank city of Ramallah has brought together artists from countries around the world, including the United States, Europe and Latin America.

Some artists have portrayed tragicomic depiction of the events in Gaza, such as an Israeli soldier holding a gun against a Palestinian child playing it as a musical instrument. Others depicted Gaza in a pool of blood.

“This cartoon I drew and published in al-Quds newspaper in its opinion page on July 14 this year. It was after the appeal of the Palestinian people in Gaza requesting protection from the UN from the Israeli attacks and bombardments. My expectation here in this cartoon was that the protection will not be enough, and the UN will not protect Palestinian people in Gaza,” Khalil Abu Arafeh, a cartoonist, told Press TV.

The event seeks to prompt people to take action and stop the Israeli massacre of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and also raise awareness and to encourage artists to think in a political way.

“Of course, the cartoonists’ participation is very important when it comes to injustice faced by Palestinians, who don’t have weapons and need support of the international community, particularly as they continue to be massacred in a brutal way by Israel,” Khaled Horraneh, a Palestinian artist, said.

Nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including 470 children, have lost their lives and more than 10,200 have been wounded since the Israeli military unleashed fatal military assaults on the Gaza Strip more than a month ago.

Human rights groups say Israeli forces are systematically killing Palestinian children and youths.