Three Dancers
CrossFireArabia- July 19, 2026
Painter Yammam Mohammad – Oil on canvas. Beautiful art, beautiful moves.
Sad Woman of Palestine
- CrossFireArabia
- July 19, 2026
The Art of Palestine from Said Elatab
He writes:
My painting “Sad Woman from Palestine” in abstract expressionism in all color with Palestinian flag.
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Israeli Settlers Torch a Mosque Near Hebron, Burn 2 Homes
- CrossFireArabia
- July 19, 2026
Settlers set fire to a mosque and two houses in the village of Tuwana in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the southern West Bank, Saturday night. The attack caused extensive damage to the targeted buildings and also set fire to a civilian vehicle.
Tuwana Village Council Mayor, Muhammad Raba’i, said settlers from the Havat Ma’on outpost stormed the village and set fire to two houses owned by Kamal Musa Raba’i and Mahmoud Salman Raba’i, in addition to setting fire to a vehicle belonging to Hisham al-Harini.
The settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, also set fire to the Tuwana Mosque using flammable materials, causing the fire to spread to a large area of the surrounding property.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs condemned the arson attack on the mosque, calling it a “dangerous escalation and a crossing of all red lines.” The Ministry emphasized that targeting places of worship constitutes an attack on all religious and humanitarian values.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry stated the burning of the Al-Tuwana Mosque was a “fully-fledged act of terrorism,” considering it part of a policy aimed at displacing the residents of Masafer Yatta, with the “support and green light of the extremist occupation government.”
The Ministry held the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the crime and its repercussions, calling on the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and international human rights organizations to intervene urgently to hold the occupation and its settlers accountable and to provide international protection for Palestinians and their holy sites.
The West Bank has witnessed an escalation in attacks by settlers and the Israeli army on Palestinian agricultural lands, including arson, bulldozing, and preventing farmers from accessing their lands, particularly in areas near settlements and outposts.
Since October 8, 2023, the Israeli escalation in the West Bank has resulted in the killing of 1,173 Palestinians and the injury of 12,666 others, in addition to the arrest of approximately 23,000 and the displacement of 33,000, according to official Palestinian figures as reported by Quds Press.
Palestinian Woman Dies Waiting For an Ambulance at Israeli Checkpoint
- CrossFireArabia
- July 19, 2026
CROSSFIREARABIA – A 30-year-old Palestinian woman died because Israeli soldiers wouldn’t allow an ambulance to pass at an electronic checkpoint leading to the village of Sinjil which is located north-east of Ramallah. According to Sinjil Mayor Mutaz Tawafsha the ambulance had to wait more than 30 minutes before it was allowed to pass the checkpoint by which time, Sujood Fuqhaa, who had suffered from a heartache, died. Tawafsha said in such cases time is of the essence and young mother of two, could have been taken to hospital and treated if the ambulance had not been stopped by the Israelis, blaming the iron security checkpoints for the continual deaths of the people of Sinjil. Her death comes at a town when Sinjil was subjected to a raid by 100 Israeli settlers recently according to local Palestinian sources. The settlers fired arms on the local people and set fire to their crops. This is just the latest for Sanjil is continually raided under the protection of the Israeli army according to the Palestine Information Center.
Pottery Jug Quenches Thirst of Gazans
- CrossFireArabia
- July 19, 2026
With a complete power outage, destruction of water infrastructure, and the sweltering heat of summer, the overcrowded tents and shelters in the Gaza Strip have become veritable ovens.
Amid this suffering, the earthenware jug, a product of the siege and displacement, has become a true lifeline, serving as an indispensable “natural refrigerator” for thousands of families searching for a drop of cool water under the burning plastic sheeting.
As temperatures exceed normal levels inside the camps, water stored in plastic containers becomes hot and undrinkable, posing a health risk with prolonged exposure to the sun.
This is where the earthenware jug comes in. The natural porosity of the clay allows water to seep through and evaporate, significantly lowering its temperature and providing displaced people with a refreshing dose of cool water to alleviate the scorching heat.
Craft Resisting Extinction
From the heart of the rubble, this historic craft has been revived. After the ongoing Israeli war destroyed the pottery district in Gaza’s Old City, artisans relocated their makeshift workshops to the central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip, restarting production with rudimentary tools and increased physical effort.
Craftsman Abu Muhammad al-Hissi told Quds Press: “It’s true that the workshops were destroyed by the bombing, and cooking gas is no longer available to power the kilns for drying and firing pottery. However, we now rely on the scorching sun to dry the pottery, then fire it using pieces of wood, cardboard, and whatever rubble we can find from destroyed houses and buildings.”
Despite this revival and increased demand, acquiring a piece of pottery is no longer easy. The scarcity of materials, the difficulty in obtaining firewood, and the complete reliance on primitive transportation via animal-drawn carts or even carrying the pottery by hand have caused a significant price increase, making it an additional financial burden for families who have lost everything.
The price of a 10-liter water jug costs around 80 shekels ($25), while larger jugs, exceeding 15 liters, cost approximately $50.
Faced with this reality, Gazans resort to ingenious methods to maximize the use of these clay pots. They place an ice cube, purchased from the market, inside, allowing the clay’s porous structure to retain cold water for more than 12 hours.
This rudimentary method has become an alternative source of income for some displaced families, who now sell bags of cold water to passersby in markets and at intersections, creating a new space for survival and continuity from clay and thirst.
