The Red Charcoal, pastel, chalk, graphite, fine liner on paper Ijlal Olguner, 2025
'The Red' Ayşe carries the lifeless bodies of children & teenagers, through the red. The red thick air that smells of burnt flesh.
An Israeli air strike hit their displacement tents in their refugee camp in Khan Yunis, Gaza. The children & teenagers were killed instantly.
Ayşe does not know their names, but knows they were somebody's everything once & they must not be alone.
Injured and bleeding, she walks slowly through the red. Her feet blending into the red dirt. Red from spilt Palestinian blood.
Unable to take another step, Ayşe collapses into the red. Still holding the children & teenagers, she takes one last breath and closes her eyes.
The children and teenagers lie in the red. But they are not alone, Ayşe is with them.
Words & artwork by İjlal Olguner 2025
Since the 7th of October 2023, Israel has killed over 64,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza. This death toll is widely seen to be an undercount. A study from The Lancet report, found that it would not be implausible to estimate that 186,000 deaths can be attributed to the current genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. These figures take into account the following: - Those missing or presumed dead under the rubble of bombed infrastructure - Those dead or dying from targeted shootings, especially children and teenagers. - Those dead or dying from hunger, malnutrition, dehydration, injuries, trauma, illnesses, & the spread of diseases due to Israel's blockade of food, water and medical aide from entering into Gaza. - The destruction of Gaza's entire health system, including bombing hospitals, and executions of hundreds of Palestinian medical staff.
Israel, to this day, continues to slaughter Palestinian civilians. Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Ceasefire Now!
The Red
Charcoal, pastel, chalk, graphite, fine liner on paper
Ijlal Olguner, 2025
'The Red'
Ayşe carries the lifeless bodies of children & teenagers, through the red.
The red thick air that smells of burnt flesh.
An Israeli air strike hit their displacement tents in their refugee camp in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
The children & teenagers were killed instantly.
Ayşe does not know their names, but knows they were somebody's everything once & they must not be alone.
Injured and bleeding, she walks slowly through the red.
Her feet blending into the red dirt.
Red from spilt Palestinian blood.
Unable to take another step, Ayşe collapses into the red.
Still holding the children & teenagers, she takes one last breath and closes her eyes.
The children and teenagers lie in the red.
But they are not alone, Ayşe is with them.
Words & artwork by İjlal Olguner
2025
Since the 7th of October 2023, Israel has killed over 64,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza. This death toll is widely seen to be an undercount. A study from The Lancet report, found that it would not be implausible to estimate that 186,000 deaths can be attributed to the current genocide committed by Israel in Gaza.
These figures take into account the following:
- Those missing or presumed dead under the rubble of bombed infrastructure
- Those dead or dying from targeted shootings, especially children and teenagers.
- Those dead or dying from hunger, malnutrition, dehydration, injuries, trauma, illnesses, & the spread of diseases due to Israel's blockade of food, water and medical aide from entering into Gaza.
- The destruction of Gaza's entire health system, including bombing hospitals, and executions of hundreds of Palestinian medical staff.
Israel, to this day, continues to slaughter Palestinian civilians. Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Ceasefire Now!