Eminently anonymous British street artist Banksy recently descended on Gaza, tagging some of its few unbroken surfaces with his iconic images. This time, he also created a mock video documentary showing the devastation of his latest urban canvas. It shows the squalid conditions in Gaza six months after the end of the war between Hamas and Israel. You can see the full mockumentary on the artist’s website.
Over 2,100 Palestinians were killed during the fighting, mostly civilians and many of them children, while 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians were killed.
The silent movie is captioned in English, reading:
"Make this the year you discover a new destination. Welcome to Gaza. Well away from the tourist track (access is via a network of illegal tunnels). The locals love it so much they never leave (because they’re not allowed to). Nestled in an exclusive setting (surrounded by walls on three sides and a line of gunboats on the other). Watched over by friendly neighbors (in 2014, Operation Protective Edge destroyed 18,000 homes). Development opportunities everywhere (no cement has been allowed into Gaza since the bombing). Plenty of scope for refurbishment."
The world’s favorite street artist may be moving towards humanitarian poetry. Banksy is keeping it real.