Jamil al-Baz

Jamil al-Baz is a Palestinian artist from the Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Gaza who uses his art to depict the impact of the ongoing conflict, particularly Israel's attacks on Gaza. As of October 9, 2024, the 23-year-old painted murals on the walls of his home, which had been partially destroyed in Israeli attacks, to mark the first anniversary of the assaults. His artistic journey began at a young age; when he was 11, during Israel’s 51-day war on Gaza known as “Operation Protective Edge,” he started drawing the faces of terrified neighbors fleeing their homes, pasting them outside his house.

Al-Baz gained recognition earlier in his youth for creating portraits of Palestinians killed during the Great March of Return protests. By 2019, at age 16, he had drawn dozens of portraits of the deceased protesters, including his older brother Muntaser, who was fatally shot by an Israeli sniper during a peaceful protest. He described the loss as profoundly life-altering, stating, “I think I have lost the second part of my life by losing him”. That same year, he was lightly wounded in the left thigh during a peaceful protest in Deir al-Balah.

For al-Baz, art serves as both a personal outlet and a public message, transforming the martyrs of Gaza into what he calls the “heroes of our real life cinema”. His work reflects resilience amid devastation, using his immediate environment as a canvas to document trauma and resistance.

After 80+ family members murdered since 2023, Jamil is doing everything in his power to protect his family from the ongoing Genocide on his people.