Mahasen Al-Khateeb
Beyond the Fire: Art as Testimony
Mahasen Al-Khateeb (1993 – October 18, 2024) was a Palestinian freelance artist, specializing in illustration and character design. She rose to prominence during the Israeli invasion of Gaza. In that difficult period of war, she used visual art to tell the suffering and horrors experienced during the Israeli military campaign, spread awareness of the Palestinian cause, and defend human rights. This is her final work, titled “Tell me what you’re feeling when you see anybody burning,” in memory of Shaban al-Dalu, a 19-year-old boy killed by the fire caused by Israeli bombings on the al-Aqsa hospital a few days prior. Mahasen died shortly after, struck by an Israeli artillery shell while in her neighborhood.
Mahasen Al-Khateeb was one of Palestine’s most powerful artistic voices, an artist who chose to tell the atrocities in her country not only with her drawings but with political activism. Through her illustrations, Mahasen sought to challenge the dominant narrative, using art as a tool to denounce human rights violations and convey the Palestinian cause to the entire world.
Her art came to life in the context of a perpetual war, where images of destruction are daily and where every voice, every gesture of resistance, risks disappearing in media silence. In this scenario, Mahasen chose to use her art to make the invisible visible, to give form and voice to those who have been deprived of the possibility to speak. She chose to tell, through the language of illustration, the stories of pain, loss, and hope that define the reality of Palestine under siege.
In her work, political commitment was intertwined with her artistic vision. “I cannot remain silent in the face of what is happening to my people. Every image I create is an act of resistance,” she stated on several occasions. Her works are not just images; they were acts of denunciation, expressions of a courage that does not bend to violence. Mahasen used her visibility to speak about human rights, social justice, and freedom. Her art was never apolitical, but always deeply rooted in the reality of her country, a cry against the occupation and against the policies that suffocate her people.
Her most well-known work, “Tell me what you’re feeling when you see anybody burning,” is symbolic. Created in memory of Shaban al-Dalu, a 19-year-old Palestinian youth burned alive by Israeli bombings on the al-Aqsa hospital, this piece not only denounces the horror of military violence but also represents a gesture of resistance against the absence of justice.
Mahasen’s tragic death, struck by an Israeli bombardment while in her neighborhood in Gaza, has made her legacy even stronger. Just days before her death, Mahasen stated: “Our art is our resistance. We cannot allow our history to be erased.” These words, like all her works, remain a testament to her struggle and her vision of a future free from oppression. Beyond the fire, beyond the destruction, her art remains a beacon of hope and justice.
@ Elettra Stamboulis All rights reserved
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