Palestinian artist Mahasen Al Khatib, known for her moving illustrations and character designs, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Jabalia camp in Gaza.
On the Saturday before her death, Mahasen shared her final artwork on X (formerly Twitter), paying a tribute to 19-year-old Shaban al Dalu with the caption “Tell me what you’re feeling when you see anybody burning.”
In an interview with Middle East Eye, Mahasen’s uncle, Hosam said, “The house was full of displaced people when Israel launched a series of intense attacks on the neighbourhood, Mahasen was killed instantly and eight individuals were injured, some critically.”
“The world has lost a talented artist, and we’ve lost a beloved family member. Mahasen’s art will continue to inspire and educate people about the reality of Gaza,” Hosam al-Khateeb added.
Mahasen Al Khatib, who was not only the artistic voice of her community but also the breadwinner for her family, leaves behind a profound legacy.
Through her work as a painter, freelance character designer, and digital art mentor, she inspired many with her creative expression, which portrayed the realities of life in Gaza, Her loss is felt deeply, both on a personal and artistic level.
Authorities in Gaza said dozens of Palestinians were killed in three separate strikes, as Israel pounded the territory despite renewed US criticism of the high civilian toll.
Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the three air strikes killed at least 44 people and wounded dozens within an hour across the war-torn Palestinian territory. Israel confirmed it carried out two of the strikes.
The health ministry said a strike on a fuel station in Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza killed 17 people, and the Palestinian Red Crescent said a separate strike almost simultaneously hit the UN-run Al-Razi School in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing five people.
The civil defence agency said the third strike was on a gathering of people near a roundabout in northern Gaza, but did not provide a breakdown of casualties.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier conveyed Washington’s “serious concern” to two senior Israeli officials regarding deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza, his spokesman said.
“We have seen civilian casualties come down from the high points of the conflict… but they still remain unacceptably high,” spokesman Matthew Miller said after Blinken met Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
Washington has been pushing for a truce between Israel and Hamas.
A senior Hamas official said Sunday the group was pulling out of indirect talks for a deal in protest at Israeli “massacres”, including a major strike that Gaza’s health ministry said killed at least 92 people on that day.
Hamas was ready to return to the indirect talks once Israel “demonstrates seriousness in reaching a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner exchange deal”, he said.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to ramp up pressure on Hamas.
“This is exactly the time to increase the pressure even more, to bring home all the hostages -– the living and the dead –- and to achieve all the war objectives,” he said.
Prisoner abuse allegations
Israel’s military said aircraft struck about “40 terror targets” in Gaza, including “sniping posts, observation posts, Hamas military structures, terror infrastructure, and buildings rigged with explosives”.
It said troops were continuing targeted raids in the southern city of Rafah and in central Gaza.
The UN humanitarian office OCHA said multiple strikes across Gaza on Tuesday killed and wounded dozens.
Hamas seized 251 hostages after October 7, 116 of whom are still in Gaza including 42 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel has killed at least 38,713 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry.
Israel’s military has also detained scores of Gazans, who have made allegations of torture, rape and other abuses in custody that Israeli authorities have denied.
Palestinian lawyer Khaled Mahajna said Monday that prisoners had recounted guards using “electric prods” on inmates.
In one prisoner’s case, a “fire extinguisher tube was inserted into his buttocks and the fire extinguisher was turned on,” Mahajna said after visiting detained Palestinian journalists.
Mass displacement
Indirect talks on ending the devastating war have been brokered by Qatar and Egypt, with US support, but months of negotiations have failed to bring a breakthrough.
At the end of May, US President Joe Biden outlined a ceasefire roadmap he said had been drawn up by Israel that triggered an intensification of the talks.
But despite meetings in both Cairo and Doha, there has been no sign of progress on how this might be implemented.
Critics in Israel, including tens of thousands of demonstrators demanding a deal to bring home the hostages, have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war.
The conflict has forced 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.4 million people to flee their homes. Many have sought refuge in UN-run schools, seven of which have been hit by Israeli strikes since July 6.
“Why do they target us when we are innocent people?” asked Umm Mohammed al-Hasanat, sheltering with her family at a UN-run school in Nuseirat, which was among those hit.
“We do not carry weapons but are just sitting and trying to find safety for ourselves and our children.”
The war has also sparked near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, which says it is acting in support of Hamas.
Lebanese official media said Israeli strikes Tuesday on southern Lebanon killed five people, including three Syrian children, with Hezbollah announcing rocket fire at Israel in retaliation.
Meanwhile near Tel Aviv ultra-orthodox Jewish protesters fought police, hours after the Israeli military said it would begin issuing draft notices for men in the community from Sunday.
Historically exempt from compulsory military service, ultra-Orthodox seminary students are being called up as the Gaza war and potential conflict with Hezbollah sap resources and fuel resentment against those who do not have to serve.
Ever since Israel launched fresh airstrikes in Gaza and Palestine, the official Twitter account of the country has been actively propagating and justifying its acts. Asim Azhar recently responded to one of their tweets and told them to “stop the terrorism”.
Responding to Israel’s claims that they were founded 3,000 years ago, Azhar said: “Your ‘country’ was literally founded, sorry I mean forced on the world in 1948. Humse bhi aik saal chotay ho, aide tussi 3,000 years kay (You are one year younger than Pakistan and yet you claim you’re 3000 years old).”
“Stop the terrorism,” he added.
Your ‘country’ was literally founded, sorry i mean forced on the world in 1948. Humse bhi aik saal chotay ho, aide tussi 3,000 years kay. Stop the terrorism. https://t.co/zan1723vyG
Asim’s tweet comes as tensions escalate in Palestine, where the Jewish state has dropped bombs on Palestinians killing hundreds. According to reports, Israeli fighter jets continued to pummel the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Wednesday, flattening residential buildings and killing at least four Palestinians, including a journalist.
Furthermore, reports have stated that Israel has dropped close to 122 bombs on Gaza in 25 minutes on Wednesday.
Earlier, Israeli forces shot dead four other Palestinians and wounded scores more during protests and a historic general strike in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
At least 220 Palestinians, including 63 children, have been killed in Gaza since the latest violence flared on May 10. About 1,500 Palestinians have been wounded.
In wake of the unfolding events in Palestine, Usman Mukhtar has delayed the release of his directorial project Bench, which was scheduled to release on May 20.
In a social media post, Mukhtar wrote: “Hello everyone, as you might have heard, our film Bench was set to release on YouTube on the 20th of May.”
“However, as excited as we are to show you our work, we are beyond devastated seeing all the atrocities being carried out in Palestine,” continued the actor, adding: “In the wake of the unfolding events and out of respect for the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Palestine, we have decided to delay the release.”
Mukhtar promised that he would release it in “happier times”.
Mukhtar also encouraged people with social media following and platform to raise their voice against the dilemma currently unfolding within the middle-east. While censorship and suppression of the ongoing events is widespread, it is important to continue to raise your voice on the matter.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to request everyone reading this post to please pray for the people suffering and keep sharing anything you can on social media,” said Mukhtar.
“It helps more than we know. If you have a voice, a platform, a following, you must use it,” he added with a flag of Palestine.
Besides Mukhtar, several other celebrities including Ayeza Khan, Shehzad Roy and Feroze Khan have raised their voice against the brutality of Israel on Palestinians.
Sheheryar Munawar has urged his fans and followers to speak for the people of Palestine.
Taking to Instagram stories, Munawar wrote: “I have never asked you anything for myself, but today I ask you not to stay quiet. To open your minds and hearts and speak for the people of Palestine. Speak against the injustice.”
The actor urged his followers to educate themselves on the current situation in Palestine and further educate others.
“Take some time to first educate yourselves, not only about what’s happening now in the region but what has been going on for the past 70 odd years,” he added.
Munawar said: “And then if it feels right to you, educate those around you.”
In another post, Sheheryar went on to say, “There are 14.7 million Jews in the world – and a total of around two billion Muslims in the world. How many narratives (films) each year do we consume on the holocaust? Now compare that to the number of films, documentaries, shows about the ethnic cleansing, genocide in Palestine? Or for that matter, what’s happening in Syria, Yemen (I could keep going but you get the point), exactly right?”
“We need more narratives, we need media agencies to start talking, we need people to start talking,” he concluded.
With the constant airstrikes pounded on Gaza, at least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children, have been killed since the attacks began. About 1,500 Palestinians have been wounded.
The infant, who was pictured wrapped in a blanket, was taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. A doctor at the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza said they are treating the child’s fractured leg and other wounds. The father of the child was later reunited with him.
