Basel El Maqousi says he is amazed to be alive at the end of each day. Living in Gaza, where more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s assault, and with the tally rising still, his amazement returns, he says, with each morning light.

“The war began and life stopped. There is no work or art, we just try to run from one place to another, searching for salvation from the bombing and killing that pursues us. We walk quickly to search for water and food, and running has become the master of all times,” he says.

“In these moments, we lose a part of our humanity, our dignity and everything that is beyond endurance.”

El Maqousi is among nearly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza living under the forced displacement and Israeli bombing that has reduced much of the territory to rubble.

His work is among that of four Gazan artists who feature in an exhibition entitled Under Fire at the Darat al Funun in Amman, Jordan. All are still creating and using whatever materials they can find, despite living under the daily bombardme...
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