Palestinian culture

The creation of Shareef Sarhan's Minarat Gaza, seen in Gaza City's port, 2016. (Courtesy)

Archiving as resistance: The battle to save Gaza’s cultural heritage

A new book documents efforts to preserve millennia of culture, refusing to surrender to the enclave’s destruction while laying foundations for its future.

By Samah Salaime July 31, 2026

Faisal Saleh stands beside the exhibition he co-curated at the 61st Venice Biennale, titled “ _____________” * * Gaza - No Words - See the Exhibit.” (Oren Ziv)

‘How do you curate a genocide?’

Marred by protests over Israel’s inclusion, the Venice Biennale is hosting an exhibit with 100 works of Palestinian embroidery based on harrowing images from Gaza. Curator Faisal Saleh discusses how it came to life.

By Oren Ziv May 21, 2026

Palestinians visit the Phoenix Library in central Gaza City, April 29, 2026. (Phoenix Library)

Reviving Gaza’s cultural scene from beneath the rubble

After Israel destroyed the Strip’s literary and arts institutions, Palestinians are launching new initiatives to preserve knowledge and insist on a right to life.

By Ruwaida Amer May 15, 2026

Latest

Fadi Aneq, Sari Mansur, and Ashraf Mitanis of Daraq Crew. (Courtesy)

‘Here we can be free’: The community revolutionizing Palestinian club culture

A New Year’s party by Daraq Crew pushed the boundaries of Palestinian nightlife in Jerusalem, creating space for joy at a time of acute suffering.

By Alice Austin January 12, 2026

Filmmaker and actor Mohammad Bakri at the Supreme Court, in Jerusalem, May 16, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Until his final day, Mohammad Bakri would not be crushed

Israel’s courts, military, and mainstream media united to punish the Palestinian actor for giving voice to his people. But he remained unbroken to the end.

By Michael Sfard January 6, 2026

Smoke rises from the Mushtaha Tower, west of Gaza City, after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike, September 5, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

The destruction of Gaza City is a crime against history

Centuries-old mosques, churches, and ancient artifacts all face obliteration as the Israeli military systematically flattens what remains of the city.

By Baker Zoubi September 30, 2025

Randa Jarrar performing her show "The Last Palestinian Alive" at "Welcome to the Fringe, Palestine," Edinburgh, Scotland. (Mihaela Bodlovic)

2,500 miles from home, Gazan culture takes center stage

A mini-festival at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe provided a rare space amid the genocide for Palestinian artists to connect, heal, and resist.

By Alice Austin September 5, 2025

Rajab Al-Rifi and his team training children at Gaza Port in western Gaza City, May 20, 2025. (Ahmed Ahmed)

Skating through rubble: The volunteers reclaiming joy for Gaza’s children

Through skateboarding, circus, and art therapy, young Gazans bring healing and brief moments of normalcy to children living through genocide.

By Ahmed Dremly June 26, 2025

Dorgham Qreaiqea leads children's activities in a tent in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Dec. 12, 2024. (Courtesy of the Qreaiqea family)

Remembering an artist who gave life to the children of Gaza

Dorgham Qreaiqea led film, theater, and painting projects with an unshakeable belief in the power of art to transcend the war. An Israeli airstrike killed him.

By Loaay Wattad April 18, 2025

From the cover of "Daybreak in Gaza." (Courtesy)

Bearing witness to Gaza as a place of life

A new book shows a side of the enclave rarely seen in news reports — its vibrant history, culture, and people — to insist that Gaza speak for itself.

By Mohammed R. Mhawish March 13, 2025

Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna appear in court after their arrest during an Israeli police raid of their Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem, Feb. 10, 2025. (Oren Ziv)

The day Israel came for the booksellers

With a Palestinian coloring book as proof of 'incitement,' Israeli police raided East Jerusalem's world-famous Educational Bookshop and arrested its owners.

By Oren Ziv February 11, 2025

Palestinians collect olives from a tree during the annual harvest season, in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, September 21, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

For Gaza’s olive farmers, the war has left little to salvage

Facing bombardment and water shortages, Palestinian farmers are clinging on to a livelihood that has long symbolized and been a source of resilience.

By Taghreed Ali and Ibtisam Mahdi November 19, 2024

Tamer Nafar (courtesy of the author)

What can Palestinian artists do in the face of our slaughter?

I used to believe art could change the world. Now it feels like an airplane black box: it won’t navigate the landing, it can only document the crash.

By Tamer Nafar July 11, 2024