GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Cartoons have long been a tool in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with Palestinian artists picking up their pens in the 1960s. Naji al-Ali, a bold, iconic Palestinian satirist who spared no one and nothing, including Israel and the United States, was assassinated in 1987. Today, several of Ali's fans carry on his tradition, using ink to criticize Israel and its policies toward the Palestinians.

Ismael Elbozom’s drawings highlight the suffering of Palestinian mothers and the seeming indifference of the international community toward the Palestinians. He recently produced cartoons on the Great Return March held this spring in Gaza, including one about the killing of 14-year-old Mohammad Ayoub on April 20 by Israeli snipers.

Elbozom, who lives in Gaza and holds a bachelor's degree from the Islamic University of Gaza in information technology, told Al-Monitor that it was not an easy decision to become a caricaturist in Palestine. “There is no support for talents and dreams,” he said. Despite the financial difficulties and lack of societal support for his profession, Elbozom is determined to carry on.

“Drawing is a wonderful and sophisticated method of addressing the world and conveying a message of life and love from the Palestinians, who have long been depicted as criminals and murderers,” he said. “This art allows Palestinians to refute Israel’s misleading narrative.” He added that he feels, through his cartoons, that he is helping to convey the Palestinian cause through nonviolent means.