The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a traveling exhibition titled "Gaza: Stories of Hope and Resilience," featuring over 40 paintings by Gazan artist Ahmed Muhanna. Muhanna created the works on WFP aid boxes and paper over three intense months under constant threat of bombings, using the boxes as canvas due to a lack of art materials. The exhibition opened on 15 September in Brussels and will tour nine European cities before closing on 23 October, with funding from the EU.
This exhibition matters because it transforms a symbol of humanitarian crisis—the aid box—into a powerful artistic medium that conveys the human reality of war in Gaza. By bringing Muhanna's work to European audiences, WFP aims to bridge the gap between distant news reports and personal connection, allowing viewers to feel closer to the suffering and resilience of Palestinians. The show also highlights the role of art as a means of survival and expression under extreme duress, and comes at a pivotal moment as famine has been confirmed in Gaza City.