Painters bring new life to hard-hit areas in Gaza

The Shati refugee camp in Gaza City has always been a symbol of poverty, a grey concrete jungle with 87,000 people packed into half a square kilometer, or about one fifth of a square mile.

But now, overlooking the sewage-contaminated Mediterranean beachfront, the camp's houses are covered in vibrant colors.

About two dozen artists have painted the walls, doorsteps and facades of all the houses along a 1.5 kilometer-long (mile-long) edge, including in the area where Hamas chief Ismail Haniya lives.

Here is a gallery of images by AP Photographer Hatem Moussa of Shati refugee camp.

In this Saturday Dec 19, 2015 photo, a Palestinian boy hangs on a door of his home that was painted by artists in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. "It's a voluntary work to bring joy and happiness for our families and children in the Shati camp," said Mohammed Dahman, a painter who worked for a month on the project. [Photo/AP]