Palestinian Cartoonist Safaa Odah Arrives in France After Evacuation from Gaza
Palestinian Cartoonist Safaa Odah Arrives in France After Evacuation from Gaza
The Cartooning for Peace member arrived in France on August 28 and has begun an artist residency in Angoulême following her evacuation from Gaza.
Palestinian cartoonist Safaa Odah has arrived in France after being evacuated from the Gaza Strip. Cartooning for Peace said she reached France on August 28, 2026, following a collective effort by institutions, organisations and individuals involved in securing her evacuation.
Odah, a member of Cartooning for Peace, has been a laureate of the Collège de France’s PAUSE programme since spring 2025. She has now begun an artist residency in Angoulême, hosted by the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image and the École européenne supérieure de l’image (ÉESI).
Freedom Cartoonists Foundation said it worked alongside Cartooning for Peace, Cartoonists Rights and other organisations in efforts that contributed to her departure from Gaza and arrival in France.
While living in Gaza, Odah continued to draw with whatever materials she could find, including on the plastic tarpaulin used for her family’s tent.
Drawing in Gaza
Before the war escalated in 2023, Odah produced cartoons, comic strips and posters dealing with women’s empowerment and work aimed at younger audiences.
According to the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, her family home was destroyed in a bombing and she and her family later lived in Khan Younis. She continued drawing and publishing her work on social media while in Gaza.
The foundation describes family love, grief, hunger, poverty and peace among the recurring themes in her work.
Safaa Odah: Drawings and Images
The 2026 Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award
In May, Safaa Odah and Ugandan cartoonist Jimmy “Spire” Ssentongo were named joint laureates of the 2026 Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award, presented by the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation in partnership with the City of Geneva.
The award ceremony was held in Geneva on May 4. Odah was still in Gaza and accepted the award by live video from her tent.
Following her arrival in France, the foundation said it plans, together with the City of Geneva, to welcome her in person and present her trophy.
Odah’s arrival in France allows her to begin the Angoulême residency supported through the PAUSE programme. The Freedom Cartoonists Foundation has also said that plans can now move forward for an in-person presentation of her 2026 award.
