Unmute Gaza turns photojournalists' images into global protest posters

The Unmute Gaza campaign, launched by artists and activists on November 11, 2023, repurposes photographs taken by Palestinian journalists into protest posters that are pasted in cities worldwide. The initiative began when masked activists entered the Guggenheim Museum in New York and unfurled eight banners by Spanish artist Escif, based on images by Mahmoud Bassam and Belal Khaled, depicting Palestinian children killed in Israeli bombings. The banners featured a mute symbol to protest Israeli media censorship. Museum staff quickly removed them. Since then, the campaign has spread from Norway to Mumbai and Poland, using photos by Belal Khaled, Wissam Nassar, Mohammed Al Masri, Sameh, Nidal Rahmi, Samar Abu Elouf, Motaz Azaiza, Mahmoud Bassam, Hind Khoundary, Wael Al Dahdouh, and Mohammed Alaloul. The project encourages the public to download and paste prints globally. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,400 people and taking over 200 hostages. Israeli military strikes on Gaza have since killed over 23,000 Palestinians, including about 79 journalists and photographers.