Qatar art installation sheds light on Gaza’s children killed by Israel

Doha, Qatar – An creation installation featuring much than 15,000 tiny teddy carnivore sculptures, each representing a child’s beingness mislaid during Israel’s ongoing warfare connected Gaza, has been unveiled successful the Qatari superior Doha.

The teddy bears dressed successful achromatic t-shirts emblazoned with the connection “I’m not conscionable a number. I’m human. With an identity. With a homeland. I americium Palestine. #Free Palestine” enactment up the pavement astatine Barahat Msheireb successful Msheireb Downtown Doha.

The creation installation titled Echo of Lost Innocence is portion of the inaugural to bring attraction to the brutality of warfare and to what Palestinians, particularly children, person gone done successful the past 11 months.

Israel has killed much than 41,000 Palestinians, astir of them children and women, since it launched its devastating warfare connected October 7. Israel’s warfare came aft Hamas and different Palestinian factions carried retired an onslaught wrong Israel, which led to astatine slightest 1,100 deaths. Campaigners person dubbed Israel’s subject violative arsenic a warfare of vengeance, arsenic Israeli forces person targeted Palestinian civilians successful often indiscriminate attacks. The widescale devastation and quality toll person caused a planetary outrage and protests calling for a ceasefire.

The installation volition beryllium connected show betwixt September 16-26. Each teddy carnivore volition beryllium sold, with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to the children of Gaza.

“This installation serves arsenic a reminder to the planetary assemblage to enactment harder towards achieving a ceasefire successful Gaza and restoring anticipation for the children of Palestine,” said Bachir Mohammad, the 40-year-old Lebanese creator who created the installation.

Multidisciplinary creator Bachir Mohammad [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Born successful Kuwait, Bachir and his household were forced to determination to Lebanon during the Gulf War successful 1990, wherever helium lived done the 1996 and 2006 wars betwixt Israel and Hezbollah.

“When I began this project, the fig of mislaid children was little than 4,000. However, contiguous the fig exceeds 15,000 and continues to rise,” helium said. “Each teddy carnivore successful the installation represents a kid who has been mislaid and is encased successful a factual block, symbolising the demolition caused by Israeli strikes.”

An Italian man, who works successful Qatar, said visualising the fig of children killed done these teddy bears is heartbreaking.

“When my children saw each these toys encased successful factual blocks, I had to explicate to them that they correspond children that died. They person to cognize that warfare brings lone decease and destruction. I anticipation they volition recognize the complexity of specified conflicts erstwhile they turn up, but for present they person to cognize that warfare volition ne'er execute thing good,” helium told Al Jazeera wishing to stay anonymous.

“We person to donate something, we person to bash each we tin to help.”