In the cash-strapped Gaza Strip, many budding female artists have abandoned their paints and brushes in pursuit of studies they hope will someday land them solid jobs. Art has thus become one of the many casualties of economic uncertainty in Gaza, with painters fearful that their art will not provide them a livelihood, much less social respect.

Nour al-Hoda Hourani, an amateur artist from Gaza City's Zahra neighborhood, told Al-Monitor that she has been drawing since childhood. She did so with the support of her family, but when it came time to select a university, instead of studying fine arts, she opted for something more likely to land her a job after graduation. That decision led her to enroll three years ago at the Faculty of Architecture at the Islamic University of Gaza.

Explaining her choice, Hourani said that it is difficult to make a living from art, in her case by selling paintings in Gaza, because for a majority of the people, art is a luxury given that they are living hand-to-mouth.

“I had participated in many joint art exhibitions in Gaza but never had the opportunity to further my skills by interacting with artists abroad,” Hourani said. “Due to the restrictions on movement [for people] in Gaza, I was unable to attend international exhibitions and get to know other cultures, art forms and artists around the world.”