During Israel’s 50-day invasion and bombing of the Gaza strip in July and August of 2014, some 40 per cent of Gaza’s urban areas were destroyed, including 96,000 homes.
In a small neighbourhood in downtown Gaza, residents are seeing a flash of hope.
With the help of a local institute, the community has transformed its walls, houses and alleys into bright expanses of colour, beautifying their neighbourhood with paint and messages of positivity.
In one neighbourhood, called Al-Zaytoun, walls have been painted over with bright purples, oranges and greens, sometimes with stencilled flowers and words scrawled across.
The initiative is seen as something different and unusual for a society traumatised by war, drawing the attention of many residents in the Strip.