Gaza's story of loss and resilience brought to COP31 through 'Hope of Return' exhibition

Résumé détaillé

Featuring 63 photographs by Anadolu photojournalists, the exhibition documents the humanitarian and environmental devastation in Gaza while highlighting Palestinians' enduring connection to their land and their hope of return.

An exhibition titled “The Hope of Return: Al-Awda – The Story of the Olive Tree”, highlighting the humanitarian and environmental devastation in Gaza, has opened at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.

The Turkish Confederation of Civil Servant Unions (Memur-Sen) and the International Labour Confederation (ILC) organised the exhibition.

The exhibition will remain open to visitors at the COP31 Green Zone Congress Center foyer from November 9 to 20. The exhibition features 63 photographs by Anadolu photojournalists from Gaza.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Memur-Sen Chairman and ILC President Ali Yalcin said the exhibition offered a glimpse into a people's love for their land and the hope they have kept alive despite all the hardships.

Noting that the olive tree was at the heart of the exhibition, Yalcin said: "We will look at that tree not only with our eyes but also with our hearts. Because in Palestine, an olive tree is not just a tree. It represents a family's past, a father's hard work, a mother's labour and a child's future."

Through interactive installations, visitors journey from Gaza's once-vibrant streets to the devastation wrought by Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, accompanied by personal testimonies recorded amid the rubble.

The exhibition displays everyday objects brought from Palestine as silent witnesses to lives interrupted by the war.

At its centre stands a damaged yet resilient olive tree, symbolising the Palestinian people's enduring attachment to their homeland.

Rooted in the past and reaching towards the future, the tree represents peace, solidarity and the promise of life despite widespread destruction.

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