In a bid to keep Palestinian culture alive, children sheltering in Rafah, southern Gaza, have created stunning pictures of historical buildings destroyed in the seven-month Israel-Palestine war.

The youngsters – whose smiling faces belie the horrors they are experiencing – pose with striking images of Qasr al-Basha and Omari Mosque, both of which now lie in ruins in Gaza City.

For many taking part in the art sessions funded by the United Kingdom charity Christian Aid and run by Palestinian partner Culture and Free Thought Association, it is the first time they have picked up a pencil or crayon in months.

Not only are the children able to put the devastating war to the back of their minds for a moment and just be children again, but their artwork also consolidates the cultural identity of Gaza and keeps it – and their hopes – alive, according to William Bell, Christian Aid’s head of Middle East policy and advocacy.

Community mobiliser Buthaina al-Faqawi, who helps run the sessions in al-Mawasi, northern Rafah, describes the change she witnesses in the children who attend: “The first look is despair and misery,” she says. “The second look is hope. The third look is love of life and childhood. Please … we deserve life, we deserve better.”

As of early April 2024, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had verified damage to 43 cultural properties since October 7, 2023. They include 10 religious sites, 24 buildings of historical and/or artistic interest, two depositories of movable cultural property, three monuments, one museum and three archaeological sites.

The organisation has expressed “deep concern” about the impact of the ongoing conflict on cultural heritage and has urged all involved parties to strictly adhere to international law.

*Some names have been changed to protect identities.