Obay Al-Qarshli, 21, and Ahmed Al-Halabi, 23, have drawn attention online after painting a mural of Spanish football player Lamine Yamal amid the ruins of Gaza.

The artists said their work seeks to acknowledge international figures and activists who have voiced support for Palestinians during the conflict.

“We try to thank every person who supports Gaza and send them a message of gratitude from Gaza,” Al-Qarshli told Arab News. “We in Gaza see them, we recognize them, and we appreciate what they are doing for us.”

The pair said the project began with a mural dedicated to Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, who participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla launched from Spain in April in an attempt to deliver aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade.

According to the artists, Avila later shared the mural on social media, helping bring international visibility to their work.

The paintings are created under severe wartime conditions, with limited access to paint, damaged infrastructure and ongoing insecurity across Gaza after months of Israeli military operations that began in October 2023.

“Something that used to cost $5 now costs $20,” Al-Qarshli said of art supplies, adding that the materials are difficult to locate and often require long travel through devastated neighborhoods.

The artists said they frequently work atop unstable debris and partially collapsed buildings because few intact walls remain.

“Even if Gaza becomes only ruins, we will still deliver our message to the world,” Al-Halabi said.
Before the war, both artists said they worked in studios, participated in exhibitions and hoped to pursue international artistic careers through scholarships and residency programs abroad.

Al-Halabi said some of his artwork had been exhibited in Europe and the United States, but restrictions on movement and border closures prevented him from accompanying his work overseas.

“I want my art to be displayed abroad, but why can’t I stand next to it?” he said.
Al-Qarshli said approximately 30 of his earlier works, including pieces previously displayed in galleries and a local museum in Gaza, were destroyed after the conflict began.

He stopped painting for a period before resuming with a piece depicting repeated displacement experienced by Gazans during the war.

Both artists said they had received educational opportunities abroad, including a university acceptance in Germany, but remained unable to leave Gaza because of restrictions on movement.

The conflict has severely disrupted daily life in Gaza, where shortages of electricity, water, food and fuel continue to affect residents and limit artistic work, including access to lighting and transportation.