Daijiworld Media Network – Gaza

Gaza, Jul 28: In a heart-wrenching display of survival, 43-year-old visual artist and father of five, Taha Hussein Abu Ghali, has been forced to burn his own paintings to cook food for his family amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In a video widely shared on Instagram, Taha is seen tearing apart his artwork, breaking wooden frames, and setting them ablaze to bake bread. “These were my most beautiful paintings. God is my witness. To me, they were like music to the heart. And now, I break them apart and burn them. Because art has turned into bread,” he said.

Displaced for the 11th time, Taha and his family are currently living in a tent in Asda City, west of Khan Younis. With no access to fuel, gas, or electricity for months, he explained the dire circumstances that led him to burn over 20 of his paintings. “We’ve already burned the doors, cabinets, even the kids’ desks. The paintings were all we had left,” he told TRT World.

An art educator and calligraphy teacher with a Master’s degree in mental health, Taha’s work draws on abstract and cubist influences. But today, even his most cherished creations are reduced to firewood as the family fights to survive.

“We're just one step away from starving to death,” he said. “We're still managing, scraping by with help from friends. But the humanitarian situation is extremely dangerous. We are on the edge of mass death.”

According to the World Health Organization, the situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels, with malnutrition-related deaths surging. Of the 116 recorded deaths this year, 63 occurred in July alone, including at least 24 children under five.

The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, which began after the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, has claimed nearly 60,000 Palestinian lives and devastated the already struggling population.