'Our wound is one': Women in Syria's Idlib stand in solidarity with Gaza

A painting of slain Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh covers a broken wall of a damaged house in the war-ravaged Syrian city of Idlib.

Another broken wall on another damaged house shows a painting of a digital camera with the word "Press" written on it. Blood trickles through the camera's lens. The work is artist Salam Hamid's reimagination of Israel's attack on the media amid Tel Aviv's genocidal onslaught on Gaza.

In town square demonstrations over the past several months, Syrian women have been voicing full-throated demands for a "free Palestine," pointing out that Idlib shares Gaza's pain of "one wound" – of women and children caught in the horrors of wars.

Far away from the killing fields of the besieged enclave of Gaza, women in Idlib are expressing their solidarity with Palestinians in words and deeds – from art and crafts to public demonstrations denouncing the Israeli oppression of Palestinians, especially the brutal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 39,000 people since October 2023.

"We have been living in a state of war in Idlib for more than 13 years, so we know the meaning of loss, fear, bombing, and displacement," said Aliya al Shami, a 30-year-old artisan who works at a handicrafts centre in Idlib.

"We have also suffered repeatedly from the bombing of hospitals and schools. It is not strange that we, the Syrians in the northwest of the country, especially the displaced and refugees, stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza because we have lived through similar moments of fear. Oppressed and wronged people support each other," Al Shami told TRT World.

She is among millions of people displaced by the bloody war in Syria that has killed hundreds of thousands since 2011.

Nestled in northwestern Syria, Idlib Governorate is a testament to the country's rich cultural tapestry. Its allure stems from abundant natural resources, fertile agricultural lands, plentiful water sources, and captivating natural beauty.

However, the years of war have taken a heavy toll on the region, leaving behind a trail of death and devastation wrought by relentless airstrikes and artillery bombardments unleashed by Bashar al Assad's regime on the opposition stronghold.

Entire towns, neighbourhoods, and villages have been reduced to rubble, their once vibrant communities scattered and displaced.

'Life' amid war

Al Shami is among 40 women trained in different handicrafts at the Life educational centre—pottery, mosaic painting, wood carving, and making scented candles and soap—under a project titled "My Skills" launched in October 2023.

The Life centre focuses on training and rehabilitating women who are breadwinners or have lost their family breadwinners, teaching them vocational skills.

Speaking to TRT World, project manager Shaza Barakat said, "All the pieces produced in the project are handmade with utmost care. Upon completion, the pieces will be shipped to European countries for exhibitions there. Therefore, the women chose the topic of solidarity with the people of Gaza because they are brothers in belonging and destiny, and our hearts are with them."

Barakat added, "We in Idlib live in a besieged area like our people in Gaza. The women chose to stand in solidarity with them…to express our sorrow for them, in addition to reminding the world of the violations being committed and the Arab blood that is being shed every day."

The women in the centre have produced paintings of the Al Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, the map of the State of Palestine, and others.

As Al Shami prepared her tools – including stones, a cutter, and artistic colours – she expressed her desire to donate some of her earnings from the mosaic paintings to the suffering people of Gaza.

"Palestine is a country with a right, and supporting it is instinctive from the hearts of all of us. Our paintings express what is in our hearts. It is our duty to use art to present a visual message about the Palestinian cause…and the right of the Palestinian people to return to their land," she said.

Art of caricature

Syrian women are also expressing their solidarity with Gaza artistically through works such as murals condemning the targeting of journalists, videos comparing the suffering of Idlib to Israel's actions against the Palestinian people, and paintings expressing their refusal to submit and surrender, as well as affirming the Palestinians' right to defend their land.

Cartoonist Amani Al Ali has used her art to convey the suffering of Syrians during the years of war, from shelling, displacement, and forced migration due to the regime's bombing of opposition-controlled areas. She has also shed light on the injustice suffered by the people of Gaza.

"At first, my cartoons focused on social issues before I moved on to drawing political issues. I draw the suffering of the oppressed, and I convey the concerns of the displaced and oppressed people. And I convey scenes of injustice and oppression, whether it is the bombing of innocents, or the voices of detainees, or the world's inaction and the absence of humanity," Al Ali told TRT World.

As the war in Palestine unfolded, her art also focused "on the suffering of our people in Gaza."

She said she believes that the Palestinian cause is "part of our nature and our beliefs," and solidarity with them "is imposed on us by our religion and our humanity."

"I have used drawing and art to demand equality, peace, and justice for Palestine and to confront our inability to face the savagery revealed by the genocide, hoping that Gaza will triumph over its enemies, settle down, and live in peace and security."

Al Ali added that many of the crimes and incidents that have taken place in Gaza have left a profound impact on her.

Among her notable works are a scene of a girl identifying her mother by her hair, children wrapped in shrouds, and the targeting of journalists.

Al Ali emphasised that drawing is a "universal language of communication" that she uses to convey messages to people or express solidarity with their causes.

She employs the art of caricature, believing that through this art form, she can convey her ideas in a satirical and intelligent way, achieving the desired impact of her message and making it understandable to everyone regardless of their language without the need for explanatory text.

Wall drawings

The struggle in northern Syria is not limited to armed opposition alone. Some individuals have chosen art as their weapon, opting to paint on the walls of demolished homes.

The aim is to amplify their message, making it clearer and more impactful, to demonstrate to the world their suffering, and the justness of their demands.

Salam Hamid, a 23-year-old visual and graffiti artist from the city of Jisr al Shughour, chose to support the people of Gaza by drawing on the walls of houses destroyed in bombings by the Assad regime.

"Most of my drawings are inspired by reality and aim to convey images, facts, and many messages, said Hamid, founder of an art and capacity-building training centre.

"The Palestinian cause is our cause, and our sense of duty towards it drives us to support it and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, even through drawing, to tell them that our pain and wound are one, we feel them, and this is what I wanted to convey to them and the world through drawing."

Hamid painted a portrait of Shireen Abu Akleh and another Palestinian journalist, Wael al Dahdouh, who lost members of his family in Israeli aggression in Gaza.

Additionally, he painted several murals, including one depicting the targeting of journalists, featuring a blood-stained camera.

"I want to document the suffering of the Syrians whose homes, which were once full of life and filled with their dreams and memories, have been destroyed."

Mass demonstrations

Idlib province, under the control of opposition factions, has witnessed numerous demonstrations in support of Gaza. Hundreds of protestors took to the streets, raising Palestinian flags alongside Syrian opposition flags.

The demonstrations encompassed most cities and villages, including Idlib, Sarmin, Atmeh, Dana, Binesh, Atarib, Jisr al Shughour, Armanaz, Ariha, Kafr Takharim, and others.

The most recent demonstration occurred in Idlib, where an estimated 2,500 Syrians participated. A square named "Gaza Square" was inaugurated in the centre of Idlib city as a tribute to the resilience and struggle of the Palestinian people.

"We took to the streets and squares to support our brothers and sisters in besieged Gaza. We chanted for their victory, demanded the entry of aid, and called on the people of Gaza to stand firm in the face of this fierce Israeli attack. We condemned the targeting of hospitals in Gaza, which resulted in hundreds of martyrs and wounded, including many children," said Hala Ibrahim, a human rights activist and the head of the Syrian Revolution Women's Coordination.

Mahasin al Abbas, a 33-year-old displaced person from the Aleppo countryside to the city of Idlib, also expressed her solidarity with the people of Gaza through protests.

"We took to the streets with dozens of workers and volunteers in civil society organisations, denouncing the Israeli aggression on Gaza and its crimes against them. We chanted the slogan, 'Our wound is one.. our cause is one'. We also denounced the silence by Arab rulers in the face of the massacres against civilians in Gaza," she told TRT World.

"We have lived the same pain and injustice that our people in Gaza are living. We in Idlib are constantly subjected to the targeting of civilians, hospitals, and shelters by the Syrian regime forces and its ally."