‘Grand massacre’: Young artists in Karachi exhibition seek end to Israel’s killing of Palestinian children

The photo taken on December 23, 2023, shows an art piece displayed at an exhibition at the Arts Council of Pakistan, in Karachi. (AN Photo)

• Over 50 young artists displayed their work at the exhibition organized by the Pakistan Palestine Foundation
• The organizers said the exhibition was to urge the international community to bring the conflict to an end

KARACHI: Under the theme of “Stop killing children in Gaza,” over 50 young artists and students on Saturday exhibited their work at the Arts Council of Pakistan, urging the international community to immediately stop the Palestinian “genocide.”
Israeli forces have killed thousands of Palestinians, including more than 8,000 children, since Oct. 7 when it was targeted by Hamas in an attack which the group said was launched in response to the deteriorating condition of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.
Millions of people across the world have protested against Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, despite calls for an immediate cease-fire from the United Nations and the rest of the international community.
The art exhibition, organized by the Palestine Foundation Pakistan (PFP) in collaboration with the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP), aimed to raise awareness about the conflict and urge the international community to do its best to end the conflict.
“More than 8,000 children have been killed by the Zionist regime in Gaza,” Dr. Sabir Abu Mariam, the PFP general secretary, told Arab News.
“We are demanding of the international community, international powers, especially the United Nations, to stop the killing of children in Gaza immediately,” he added.
Wajid Ali, an assistant professor in Gujrat said he had come to Karachi to curate the exhibition. He noted that over the last 77 days, Israel had been continuously attacking Palestinians, including children.
“It’s an awareness campaign among the young generation to understand how they think about this grand massacre,” Ali continued. “They [the young artists] depicted their ideas and thoughts in different art forms.”
Umaima Masood, a student at the council’s School of Arts, said she was crying while making the abstract painting of a Palestinian girl in tears.
“She is crying and asking to fix the situation,” she said while pointing toward the painting, adding: “We will have to stop Israel.”
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution to send more aid to help the residents of the Gaza Strip on Friday, though it did not call for an immediate cease-fire.
The resolution was described as insufficient under the circumstances by a number of world players, with the UN chief saying humanitarian cease-fire was the only way to help the people of Gaza and “end their ongoing nightmare.”