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A REMARKABLE collection of paintings – depicting the haunted and frightened faces of children in war-torn Gaza – are to go on display in this country for the first time thanks to the work of an Islington charity.

Islington Friends of Yibna, a friendship and support group for a refugee camp in Rafah, close to the Egyptian border, are hoping to put on the display at the Town Hall later this year.

The paintings, by a new collective of 17 Palestinian war artists, 15 of them women, are a reaction to last year’s Israeli bombings of Gaza in which 1,400 people died, including 400 children.

However, because of the current Israeli blockade of the territory, it is not certain when the paintings will be allowed out of Palestine. If they cannot be transported for the event, life-size photographs of the paintings will go on show.

Chairwoman of Friends of Yibna, Israeli-born Yael Kahn, said the paintings do more than any photograph to show the extent of human suffering in beleaguered Palestine. 

“Many were painted during last year’s merciless bombing of Gaza by the Israelis,” she said. “The artists have captured the faces of the children with all their fear and abject misery.”

Being an artist in Gaza has its own problems, she added, not least of which is the difficulty of getting materials due to the economic blockade.

“All the paint, paint brushes and board have to be smuggled into Gaza, often via tunnels under the border. I think there are similarities here with Anne Frank’s diary, in that like the Holocaust victim Anne, this extraordinary work has been accomplished under the most appalling hardship.”

The paintings were shown at an exhibition in Gaza last week, where they created huge interest. A firm date has yet to be fixed for the Islington show.

• Islington Friends of Yibna are working on promotion of the artwork from Yibna/Rafah and hope to hear from anyone who would like to help or contribute to the cause. Letters to IFY, PO Box 58246 N1 2UE. 
Or email: islington_yibna@yahoo.co.uk