Handala is an iconic and beloved figure in Palestinian culture and a symbol of Palestinian resistance and resilience. He is a cartoon character created by Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali and reflects his own childhood refugee experience and the ongoing plight of the Palestinians displaced by the Nakba.

The first version of the cartoon appeared in a Kuwaiti newspaper in 1969 and was drawn facing the viewer. However, in 1973 following the October War, al-Ali started drawing Handala with his back turned to reflect how the world had itself turned its back on the Palestinians.

Naji-al Ali was assassinated in London in 1987. No one has been charged with his murder. Although, Britain’s prime minister at the time Margaret Thatcher, expelled Israeli diplomats and shut down their spy agency’s London headquarters angered by reports they had prior knowledge of his assassination.

All profits from the sale of this T-shirt shall be donated to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.