Thousands of visitors flock to the "Bulletproof Dreams: Gaza's Child Painters" exhibition held in Taksim Square, Istanbul, which was inaugurated last month in the presence of Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, the Turkish President's wife.
On December 29th, the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Department opened an exhibition of works by child artists from Gaza, highlighting the humanitarian tragedy in the Palestinian enclave amid ongoing Israeli attacks since October 7th.
Since its launch, the exhibition, which aims to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza through the eyes of children, has been visited by thousands of people.
In her interview with Anadolu Agency, a visitor named Busra Kilic expressed that she saw works by Palestinian children that they should not have to draw or witness in their lives. She added, "Children of this age should be drawing houses and trees and flowers, not bleeding people and scenes of bombs and warplanes. It's truly painful to see."
Another visitor, Sumaya Gidezli, mentioned that she experienced various emotions upon seeing the drawings on display, saying, "I feel the pain of the Palestinian children."
Visitor Dilber Sari pointed out that "it's difficult not to be affected, I feel like crying right now. This barbarity is unparalleled. The war must end."
The exhibition, which will continue until January 29th, aims to raise awareness in the international community through art and to convey the feelings, traumas, pains, and difficult circumstances of the children living through the aggression in Gaza.
The exhibition is a project initiated by Turkish journalist Abdullah Ayetkin, inspired by a picture drawn by a 6-year-old girl from Gaza named Mona, who witnessed her mother's death from an Israeli rocket, followed by the death of 26 family members during the "Cast Lead" operation in Gaza (2008-2009).
Spanning 1,350 square meters, the exhibition includes a selection of 266 artworks drawn by children from Gaza, some of whom were later martyred in Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave.
The exhibition also features a special section for journalists and doctors who lost their lives in the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Since October 7th, the Israeli military has been waging a destructive war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in more than 22,000 martyrs and around 58,000 wounded—mostly children and women—along with immense destruction of infrastructure and an "unprecedented humanitarian disaster," according to official Palestinian and international sources.
