Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Maryam sits in front of a blank sheet of paper, holding her pencil as she begins drawing the first lines. Her eyes focus on the details of the drawing while her hand moves calmly.

Amid a reality in which Israel’s genocidal war has imposed itself on the details of everyday life in Gaza, 16-year-old Maryam tries to create a different environment for herself, even if only for a few hours. The paper and pencil give her a chance to step away from the scene around her and return to something she loves and knows well.

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Maryam’s family’s home was bombed in January 2024, and she now lives in her grandmother’s house in Deir el-Balah. She has lost friends and people close to her, including her uncle, as a result of Israel’s attacks during the war – strikes that have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

The art space she draws in – located at a cafe on the beach in Deir el-Balah – has become a refuge.

“The space helped me return to myself and rediscover my passion for drawing,” she says.

For Maryam, drawing means more than a hobby. It is a way of putting her feelings onto paper, especially those that are difficult to express in words.

“I feel a great sense of psychological relief, as if I can put my feelings on the paper instead of keeping them trapped inside me,” Maryam says. “Every drawing makes me feel that I have managed to describe a part of what I feel and convey it to people in my own way, even the things I sometimes cannot talk about.”

Providing a space for hope

Maryam has been drawing since she was a child, but began attending the art space in April, when it was set up.

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She says that each completed drawing gives her a sense of achievement and opens a small space for hope amid heavy days.

“It made me wake up every day with a new passion, with drawing becoming part of my day. Every day, I finish a new drawing, it plants new hope inside me,” Maryam says. “If I hadn’t drawn, I would have given in to depression and the difficult circumstances I was going through. But I managed to get back on my feet and learn a new drawing, something new, every day.”

Helping children like Maryam is the reason 35-year-old Abdullah al-Ghafri set up the art space – and why he is working hard to keep it open, despite the expensive rental costs that have him continuously searching for investors.

“The idea was born out of necessity and the difficult reality,” al-Ghafri says. “With most educational and cultural centres in Gaza destroyed and bombed, we could not find a place to accommodate the talents of young people and children.”

“The main goal is to lift the participants out of the atmosphere of war and destruction,” al-Ghafri adds. “And to provide a space where they can release negative energy and replace it with positive energy and hope.”

Coping mechanism

Psychologist Asil Abu Shawish says art can give children and adolescents a way to express their feelings at times of great trauma.

“When a child draws, sings or plays an instrument, they are, in a way, releasing some of the pressure and emotions that have built up inside them,” she says.

Abu Shawish explains that having a safe space where children can engage in artistic activities can give them a sense of stability amid constantly changing circumstances.

“When a child enters a safe space and knows they have time for drawing or music, it helps them feel that they still have a part of their life that they can control. That feeling is very important psychologically.”

As the war continues – despite an official October “ceasefire” – children are exposed to high levels of fear, stress and loss. Abu Shawish, therefore, believes that artistic activities can give them an opportunity to deal with these emotions in a safer way.

“Art is not a treatment for all the psychological effects left by war, but it can be an important means of emotional release and coping, especially when the activity is appropriate for the child’s age and carried out under the supervision of people who are able to support them.”

She says the impact of these activities can be observed during the sessions themselves, through children’s interaction with one another and their ability to focus and engage in the activity.

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“Sometimes we notice that a child who is quiet or withdrawn begins to interact with the group through drawing or music. The activity itself can become the starting point for a relationship, a conversation or a sense of safety.”

She believes some children find art to be an easier language than words.

“Not every child can say, ‘I’m afraid,’ ‘I’m sad,’ or ‘I lost someone.’ They may draw that feeling, choose a song that expresses it, or release their emotions through playing an instrument.”

Art can therefore become a means of coping with difficult circumstances, particularly when the activity continues over time and becomes part of a child’s life.

Musical therapy

In Nuseirat, at the Palestinian Student Care Association, Jabr Thabet coordinates activities with the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, where children gather around their instruments and learn singing and music.

“We are trying to bring music to children wherever they are, even if the place changes and the centres are damaged,” Thabet, who is the projects and venue coordinator at the Conservatory’s Gaza branch, says. “We are not just teaching them music. We are trying to give them a space where they can experience a normal moment, feel joy and meet other children like them.”

The conservatory’s Gaza City location was damaged during the war, and so its teachers have continued their activities in displacement areas, including Nuseirat, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City itself.

During the sessions, Thabet watches the children’s interaction with music, from the moment they arrive until the training ends. “What stands out to me most is their enthusiasm. A child comes to the session waiting to learn something new and leaves wanting to come back again.”

“Music allows a child to bring out what is inside in a different way. A child may not be able to talk, but they can sing or play an instrument.”

Thabet adds, “For us, art is a form of resilience. When a child can sing, play and create something beautiful amid all this destruction, in a way, they are preserving a part of themselves and their life.”