Puppet puts spotlight on plight of Gaza children

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian puppet maker Yousef al-Hindi is using his art to put the spotlight on the suffering of the people of Gaza, especially the children.

He designed a Marionette, a puppet manipulated with strings, to send a message to the world on behalf of the children in Gaza.

“I am trying to design a puppet which will send messages to the world on the rights of Palestinian children, especially their right to live in dignity,” he said.

Once the puppet is ready, he will perform shows at various shelters housing the displaced Palestinians.

“I want to bring joy to the children. They are hope,” he said.

Due to the scarcity of materials needed to build the puppet, he used bread dough to make its body.

“I used whatever I could find. I used cork, pieces of iron, and nylon.”

His workshop was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza, he said.

“In a few days, the puppet will have a clear shape … curly beautiful hair.”

He said he would name it Yousef after a 7-year-old who was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City in October.

The dead boy’s mother recognized his body from his curly hair, he said.

The video went viral on social media.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since October 7 and has killed at least 27,585 Palestinians and injured 66,978 others, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The children of Gaza are terribly traumatized, bearing the scars of a horrific and brutal warfare. Many have lost parents and/or siblings.