Last Words From Palestine: A Memorial to Child Martyrs

I ventured into the sublime city of Boulder and made my way to the “Last Words from Palestine” exhibition at the CU Boulder campus. An array of watercolor images in the shape of kites unfolded before me. Each hung high and displayed over a coppered brick wall for passing students to gaze upon and take the time to read.

For a minute, I felt a moment of absolute silence as the wind whooshed through the water-colored kites. As they fluttered in motion, goosebumps trailed down my neck. I pictured these kites floating toward the sky, resembling the souls of every Palestinian martyr transcending into paradise—a memorial for every Palestinian who has lost their life to this prolonged, brutal ethnic cleansing campaign. 

Close up of paper kite. Photo credit: Mohammed Ahmad

Every kite revealed an image of a Palestinian murdered in Gaza or the West Bank, designed with water-colored designs of Palestinian symbols: blood-red poppies, Yaffa oranges, olive branches, old skeleton keys, and white doves, some with quotes of their last words before their martyrdom 

and quotes of their dreams and ambitions in life. Their names, ages, and occupations were also displayed, a staunch reminder of who these people were. 

This art exhibition was immensely compelling and a call to the outside world that this barbarity has existed for far too long. People who suffer from the viciousness of genocide are sometimes always forgotten. Invisible to the international world and succumbed to the insignificance of a statistic. By illuminating the visibility of these men, women, and children, SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) is putting names and faces to the countless Palestinians viciously murdered by Israel every day. 

As I took the time to read each kite, it got me thinking about just how quickly those who suffer the horrors of genocide are erased from existence. The outside world may never know these individuals. Each of them is overwhelmingly beautiful and full of life, with dreams and immersed in so much love–many of them children. 

Israel has robbed Palestinians of basic human life, and with that, Palestinian lives have been reduced to just a number. The international world is only informed about Palestinian deaths through staggering statistics without knowing and learning about the faces and lives that Israel ruthlessly takes. 

As we witness this documented genocide unfold right before our eyes, it is immensely crucial to remember every one of our martyrs. Each loss of Palestinian life is unbearable. They all had dreams and goals, like you and me. They were all mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers alike who dreamt of incredible, beautiful things for themselves and their families. So much of

Palestinian livelihood has been demonized by the media, and the world frankly expects Palestinians to be killed silently. To take everything the colonizer gives them lying down. 

I spoke with an SJP member about the purpose of this art exhibition. She stated, “My goal with this, in addition to bringing life to these people, is to allow people to share in our humanity and to recognize that there are people just like us over there who are experiencing this suffering and pain.” It has been 326 days of genocide in Gaza. Israel has taken the lives of over 41,000 Palestinians, including over 14,000 children. These numbers are nauseating. 

Eileen Al-Khay was 7 years old. She was an artist, and she made drawings during Israel’s bombardment, which she sent to her uncle, who resided outside of Gaza. She, alongside her sister Celine, 5 years old, and her baby brother Mahmoud, who was 6 weeks old, were killed by an Israeli airstrike on their home on October 13, 2023. 

Ahmed and Asil Abu Asad were 12-year-old twins. Asil was a shy and sweet girl who wanted to become a fashion designer when she grew up. Ahmed, boisterous and full of life, wanted to become a soccer player. Two days before they were murdered, Ahmed went to the barbershop to get a haircut and told his barber, “Even if I die, I want to look neat and good.” Israel killed both Ahmed and Asil on October 21, 2023. 

Zain Al Bardasawi was aged 6 when he told his aunt, “Aunt Wafa, take me with you, hide me; I don’t want to die.” He was killed in an Israeli airstrike alongside his brother Amr and his mother Alaa. 

Sara Al-Haj, a 2-month-old baby, was killed by Israeli shelling on November 21, 2023, alongside her father, Majd, and her mother, Amani. 

Firas Al Ghaf was a baby, 1 year old. He was displaced with his family to Khan Younis due to Israeli bombardment and invasion of the Northern Gaza Strip. Firas asked his dad for a biscuit to eat. When his father left to get his son a biscuit, he returned to find him killed by an Israeli airstrike alongside 7 other Palestinians—all of whom were seeking refuge. Firas Al-Ghaf was killed on December 28, 2023. His father’s jarring words toward his son’s lifeless body, “Wake up baba, I brought you the biscuit,” as he places it in his martyred son’s hand. 

Paper kite with young Palestinian’s picture on it. Photo credit: Mohammed Ahmad

Many of the children that Israel has killed didn’t even have names yet. That’s how young they were. They were babies who hadn’t even touched the face of the earth yet. In their first breath, there is a call for their death.

This is the largest scale of mass slaughter that the world has ever witnessed. Gaza has unbearably become a graveyard for children. In a world stained in Palestinian blood, I urge you to remember every one of these martyrs’ faces. Let their names and last words be etched in your mind—I hope it haunts you forever.