Banksy goes undercover in war-torn Gaza to create astonishing new art caught on film

His pieces include a giant mural of a sad kitten and a weeping depiction of Greek mythical figure Niobe

YouTube Banksy's satirical film in Gaza
Mural: Banksy's graffiti depicting sad kitten on wall in Gaza

Guerrilla street artist Banksy has gone undercover in Gaza to film life in the war-stricken territory.

The elusive British artist even appears to have created several of his own trademark works in the region - including a giant kitten on the wall of a destroyed building.

In a satirical film posted on his website, which is mocked up as a travel advert, Banksy appears to enter Gaza through a series of underground tunnels, before filming children playing among piles of rubble in an area which seems to have been ravaged by war.

Gaza Strip has been the centre of an ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, with the UN estimating around 2,200 Palestinians and 72 Israelis were killed in a bloody escalation of violence in the region last year.

Banksy regularly displays political messages on screen throughout the two-minute clip, such as 'The locals like it so much they never leave (because they're not allowed to)' and 'Development opportunities are everywhere (no cement has been allowed into Gaza since the bombing)'.

YouTube Banksy's satirical film in Gaza
'Bomb damage': Weeping depiction of Greek mythological figure

A hooded Banksy is also shown using stencils and spray paint to create his iconic graffiti art including 'Bomb damage', which apparently depicts mythical Greek figure Niobe with her head in her hands.

Another piece shows children on swings attached to an military checkpoint, accompanied with the caption: "Gaza is often described as 'the world's largest open air prison' because no-one is allowed to enter or leave.

"But that seems a bit unfair to prisons - they don’t have their electricity and drinking water cut off randomly almost every day."

YouTube Banksy's satirical film in Gaza
Film: The two-minute clip shows Banksy enter Gaza via tunnels

A large mural of a sad kitten with its paw in the air is captioned. "A local man came up and said 'Please - what does this mean?'

"I explained I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my website – but on the internet people only look at pictures of kittens."

In the video, a local man says: "This cat tells the whole world that she is missing joy in her life. The cat found something to play with. What about our children?"

The video ends with a shot of some graffiti on the side of a building which reads: "If we wash our hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless we side with the powerful - we don't remain neutral."

Meanwhile, German police are currently hunting a vandal who defaced the country's last remaining Banksy artwork, produced when he visited between 2002 and 2003.

The piece, nicknamed 'Bomb Hugger', was destroyed after the word 'Graffiti' was daubed in blue paint above it, which ran down and ruined the artwork.

 

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