Calligraffiti artist paints Gaza’s hope

Here's a round-up of Al Jazeera's Middle East coverage this week.

7 September 2023 The Middle East This Week ­ In Palestine, calligraffiti resists destruction | A Tunisian man's search for his brother | Eritreans brawl in Israel | Fallout in Libya from Israel scandal. Here's the Middle East this week:   Gaza's calligraffiti of hope The flowing calligraphy unscrolls across a collapsed roof: "War is an evangelist, bearing tidings for us." Another swirl of text, on a slab of foundation nearby reads: "Maybe, if everyone had been a fighter, they would have been saved." The lines are from a poem by Palestinian poet Tamim Barghouti that artist Ayman al-Hosari painted on the ruins of houses, destroyed by countless Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. 'Don't come back without your brother' It was midnight when Rashid Ghammam got the call: "'Call rescue, Rashid! Immediately!'" It was about his younger brother, Nader, who had set sail from Mahdia, Tunisia, on the treacherous journey to Lampedusa, in southern Italy, hoping to join Rashid in the capital, Rome. Something happened on the boat that made Nader worry for his safety and he jumped into the sea. Now Rashid is desperately seeking answers: "My mother calls all the time, asking if I've found Nader. She says: 'Don't come back without your brother.' I swear, those words kill me." Eritreans in Israel brawl over pro-government event Eritrean refugees in Israel have always had it rough, with the government trying many ways to force Africans out. This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for their deportation after a brawl broke out between rival Eritrean groups.   Watch: Supporters and critics of Eritrea's gov't clash in Tel Aviv South Darfur reels from looting, violence Armed adversaries in Sudan are going toe-to-toe in South Darfur – with civilians caught in the middle.   "There is a lot of [indiscriminate] shelling by the army … and the [Rapid Support Forces] are always hiding in residential neighbourhoods," a witness tells Al Jazeera.   Watch: What's happening in Darfur in Sudan?  Fallout from the Libya-Israel saga The leak of a clandestine meeting between Israeli and Libyan ministers made the United States unhappy, with a senior US official lamenting that it "killed" a possible rapprochement. It may also have opened up the door to renewed fighting between armed militias in Tripoli.   Watch: Protests in Libya over minister's meeting with Israeli  And now, something different  Furqan Abdul Razzaq, aka Lover Boy Addu, is a resident expert at Muttrah Souq just outside the Omani capital, Muscat. He can cajole prospective customers into buying some of the many trinkets on show in this market, near a busy port that brings in tourists from cruise ships. Razzaq is just one of the dozens of South Asian vendors there who for generations have found a home at the ancient marketplace, in what once was Oman's main commercial centre. Briefly  Kirkuk curfew lifted after deadly unrest at rival protests by Arabs, Kurds Morocco protests over killed jet ski tourists in Algeria  Fighting between Arab tribes and SDF spreads to northwest Syria  Erdogan visits Putin in Russia's Sochi in bid to revive Ukraine grain deal 'Historic move': Saudi football clubs to play in Iran as travel ban lifted   Quote of the Week  "Just seeing destruction every day puts people in a deep funk, stressing their mental health. I wanted to change that sight that they see every day, the crushed stones and twisted walls, to make them something else." | —Palestinian artist, Ayman al-Hosari who scrawls calligraffiti on ruined houses in the Gaza Strip. ­ Follow Al Jazeera English on: ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ This email was sent to sami.bouguila.sami@blogger.com You've received it because you've subscribed to our newsletter. View in browser | Contact Us | Unsubscribe © 2023 Al Jazeera Media Network Al Jazeera English, PO Box 23127 Doha - Qatar