Welcome to Hell

A new graphic novel memoir chronicling the recent horrific days in Palestine, from Mohammad Sabaaneh, the winner of the Palestine Book Award.

This powerful graphic novel sheds light on the reality of life in both the West Bank and Gaza during this terrifying time. Told from the perspective of the author's brother's experience in prison and that of those in Gaza struggling to survive displacement, starvation, and attack.

In October of 2023, Sabaaneh went on a tour in Europe to promote his book about life under occupation in Palestine. Whether a Palestinian is inside a detention centre or in any city or village, they are all in a big prison. The book ends with one message: 'we will not leave.' Upon his return to Palestine, he was trapped within the walls of his home – unable to see his aging parents, or his brother, who was locked away in an Israeli detention centre.

So begins this vital story of struggle and survival.

'If Picasso’s Guernica were a graphic novel, it would look and read something like this. Desperate, defiant, and pure poetry, this is one of the most important artistic statements of our time.' – Joe Sacco, winner of the American Book Award for Palestine

'"Whether a Palestinian is inside a center or in any city or village, they are in a big prison," Sabaaneh reminds readers. His signature Cubist-inspired, woodblock-print-like, black-and-white illustrations starkly capture images of horrific torture and unbreakable resilience.' – Booklist Review

About the Author

Mohammad Sabaaneh is a Palestinian cartoonist. He is the principal cartoonist for the Palestinian Authority's daily newspaper, Al-Hayat al-Jadida. Sabaaneh is a Middle East representative for the Cartoonists Rights Network International and teaches art at the Arab American University of Palestine. His graphic novel Power Born of Dreams, which tells the autobiographical story of his time as a political prisoner in Israel, received the Palestine Book Award. He has also collaborated with Khaled A. Beydoun on Eyes on Gaza: Witnessing Annihilation, which chronicles recent events in Palestine. Mohammad currently lives in Ramallah, in the West Bank.