Sequence by Mahasen Al-Khatib.
Mahasen Al-Khatib was a Palestinian web cartoonist and educator. She made several cartoons about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, showing support for the Palestinian people. Her early death during an Israeli military offensive increased her international notability.
Life and career
Mahasen Al-Khatib (also written as Mahasen Al Khateeb or Mahasen Alkhateeb) was born in 1993 in the Tal Al-Zaatar neighborhood in the Palestinian town of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip. She enjoyed drawing from an early age, but after graduating from high school in 2010, she first combined her further studies with several odd jobs. In 2024, she left university during her final semester to follow her dream of becoming a cartoonist. Her Instagram account soon attracted over 100,000 followers, not only from within Palestine but also from Arabs and Muslims worldwide. Al-Khatib also trained many people in the finer points of digital art and made designs for T-shirts. On 28 August 2024, she interviewed Moroccan doctor Hassan El-Halkhalk, thanking him for his volunteer work in Gaza and gave him a portrait she made of him. Apart from cartoons, Mahasen made paintings, character designs and storyboards, often posting her work on her Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Cartoon by Mahasen Al-Khatib.
Since 2022, a full-out war between the Israeli government and the Palestinian militia force Hamas had been raging. Al-Khatib made several cartoons expressing her grief for the thousands of victims. In October 2024, the Israeli army invaded the Gaza Strip, where Al-Khatib lived in the Jabalia refugee camp. During the seemingly endless bombings, there was no safe place to evacuate to. Lack of enough food and water made her situation even more hopeless. Al-Khatib was well aware that any day now might be her last. As one of her final online messages she posted a selfie so people “won't forget me after I'm gone.” When a 19-year old youngster, Shabaan Al-Dalu, was burned alive during one of the bombings, she made a special tribute cartoon for him, posted on 17 October 2024. It turned out to be an unintentional "in memoriam" for herself as well.
Death and legacy
On 18 October 2024, Al-Khatib was killed during a bombing, along with 21 other women. According to eyewitness accounts, she died instantly. She was only 30 or 31 years old. Because of the continuous and heavy bombings, her body was kept in the Kamal Adwan Hospital until a potential ceasefire would allow for her remains to be given to her family for a proper burial.
Al-Khatib's death led to an international outpour of grief, anger and outrage. Contrary to some reports, there is no proof that she was specifically targeted because of her cartoons. Still, her death made her martyr to many of her fans, leading to the hashtag #Mahassen_AlKhatib. Among the notable people who commemorated her passing on their social media accounts have been photographer Tamer Hammam, influencer Ahmed Hijazi and Italian cartoonist Gianluca Costanini, who made a special portrait of her.
Al-Khatib's tragic early death, only half a year after she decided to become a cartoonist, provides a powerful message that creative spirits should always follow their passion, for any day might be their last. In the same vein, her determination to keep on drawing, despite all harsh circumstances, is a testament to human willpower and creativity even within the darkest moments.
Self-portrait.