Gaza Artists Amna Al-Salmi and Ismail Abu Hatab Killed in Israeli Air Strike on al-Baqa Cafe

Visual artist Amna Al-Salmi, 36, and photographer-filmmaker Ismail Abu Hatab, 32, were killed on June 30 in an Israeli air strike targeting Gaza's al-Baqa cafe, which claimed approximately 30 lives. The family-run seaside establishment served as a popular meeting place for artists, journalists, young professionals, and foreigners. Al-Salmi, a graduate in fine arts photography from Gaza's Al Aqsa University, worked across painting, mural, sculpture, and digital art while contributing to the Tamer Institute for Community Education and the Reviving Gaza mutual aid initiative. Her brother Rafiq Al-Salmi, speaking from Belgium, emphasized her love for beauty and aspiration to become a prominent artistic name. Abu Hatab, a University College of Applied Sciences graduate, continued photojournalism throughout the war despite serious injuries from a previous Israeli attack while filming a documentary. His work appeared in 2025 exhibitions "HOME | الب" at Haymarket House in Chicago and "Gaza: Against Erasure" at Pain Sugar Gallery in Riverside, California, and in the 2024–25 Barcelona International Photography Festival on Human Rights and Global Justice. He co-founded ByPa, an online platform amplifying Palestinian creative voices. A former colleague named Mohammad remembered him as a strong, kind-hearted professional dedicated to showing Gaza's reality. Both artists remained active in Gaza's art scene despite wartime conditions.