Last year's war between Israel and Hamas killed an estimated 2,205 Palestinians and 71 Israelis. Reconstruction is only just getting underway of the estimated 18,000 housing units in Gaza that were destroyed or severely damaged during the 50-day conflict.
But in Gaza's Al Zaytoun neighborhood, the scene is a bit more vibrant than you would expect for an area still rebuilding after a war.
The plethora of color comes courtesy of Mohammed Al Saedi, a resident who first started placing brightly painted hanging flower pots around his own home.
In a video from the Institute for Middle East Understanding, an American non-profit that aims "to increase the public's understanding" of Palestinians, Saedi explains just how his vision for an environment filled with beauty came to spread:
