Gaza's memory brought to COP31 through 'Hope of Return: Al-Awda' exhibition

An experiential exhibition titled "Hope of Return: Al-Awda," organized by the Confederation of Public Servants Trade Unions (Memur-Sen) and the International Labor Confederation (ILC), with contributions from Anadolu, to draw attention to the humanitarian and environmental devastation in Gaza, opened on Thursday. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Memur-Sen Chairman and ILC President Ali Yalcin said the exhibition offered a glimpse into a people's love for their land and the hope they have kept alive despite all hardships.

Noting that the olive tree was at the heart of the exhibition, Yalcin said: "We will look at that tree not only with our eyes but also with our hearts. Because in Palestine, an olive tree is not just a tree. It represents a family's past, a father's hard work, a mother's labor and a child's future." Yalcin said Gaza was now left with an enormous pile of rubble, adding that 164 historical and cultural heritage sites had been damaged, 80,000 people had lost their lives, and greenhouse gas emissions linked to the war and destruction were estimated to have reached 33.2 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

"A world in which prosperity rises in one part of the globe while rubble, destruction, hunger, misery and poverty are presented as people's only options elsewhere is not a just world," he said. Speaking to an Anadolu correspondent, Yalcin said the exhibition featured striking photographs documenting environmental destruction and leaving a lasting impression on viewers. "This work we have carried out with Anadolu is extremely important.

It features images of mothers in Gaza whose hopes have been extinguished, people who have been torn away from life, and children trying to complete their education in abandoned buildings and still holding on to life," he said. Yalcin thanked Anadolu CEO Serdar Karagoz and his team, Palestinian artists whose works brought the exhibition to life, and all institutions and organizations that contributed to the project. He presented a plaque of appreciation to Anadolu in recognition of the agency's support and contributions to the preparation of the exhibition.

The exhibition features 63 photographs by Anadolu photojournalists documenting the humanitarian and environmental devastation in Gaza.