GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The General Directorate for Correction and Rehabilitation Centers, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior and National Security, which is responsible for managing civil prisons, inaugurated the “Glimmer of Hope” exhibition on March 26. For two consecutive days, handmade products made by about 40 female inmates serving sentences for various crimes in prisons in Gaza were displayed and sold.

The exhibition caught the attention of many citizens and the media, and included three different categories: handicrafts and embroidered outfits; furniture inlaid with Palestinian rural embroidery and artistic items; and food such as pastries and desserts.

Amal Noufal, the head of the Center for Correction and Rehabilitation of Women in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, “The exhibition aims to achieve several goals, the most prominent of which is empowering and financially supporting inmates to enable them to launch their own projects after they have served their sentences, as well as improve the social image of inmates."

Funds are collected for the inmates to take part in the crafts training and educational programs that are run under the auspices of the General Directorate for Correction and Rehabilitation Centers, which provide them with all the materials needed free of charge.