By Meital Nahmias 

“Art becomes a target because it is public, visible and universal. Destroying it means striking at identity, memory and the symbolic power of a people,” says AleXsandro Palombo

In the beginning of November, an emotional artwork by the renowned Italian contemporary pop artist and activist AleXsandro Palombo was vandalized in Milan for the second time. The mural honored Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Kfir and Ariel, who were kidnapped from their home on October 7th 2023 and murdered in captivity. Their bodies were returned to Israel only in February 2025.

The mural painted by AleXsandro Palombo depicted the image that has been engraved in all our hearts and minds, showing Shiri holding her two precious boys as they were taken by the terrorists into Gaza. He portrayed them draped in the flag of Israel. This image of a mother holding her boys touched hearts across the world. For more than a year and a half, we all hoped they would return home alive.

The mural, titled October 7, The Hostages, was placed in the center of Milan a few steps from the famous Via Montenapoleone shopping district and next to the Qatari Consulate. For many it became a symbol of empathy, remembrance and solidarity, but it also became a target for hate. The mural was damaged twice, first just days after it was unveiled in October 2025 following the commemoration of two years since October 7th, and again at the beginning of November. Shiri’s face was completely covered with white paint and the Star of David on the Israeli flag draped around Kfir and Ariel was erased. Palombo’s team told us the mural has now been irreparably damaged.

“Palombo is one of the most internationally recognized contemporary Italian artists, consistently committed to creating works with a strong social impact. We are currently assessing what solution to adopt for the mural dedicated to the Bibas family, which has unfortunately been irreparably damaged.”

A few days ago we reached out to AleXsandro Palombo and his team after learning about the damage. His team explained they were informed of the vandalism when citizens saw it and shared images online.

“As with many of Palombo’s works, the reactions have been intense and deeply felt. Every new piece he creates sparks strong engagement and media attention. This particular mural generated empathy and reflection, affecting both personal and collective sensitivities, and we received numerous messages of support after the Bibas mural was attacked.”

This is not the first time that Palombo’s works have been targeted by antisemites. His well-known murals The Simpsons Go to Auschwitz and those dedicated to Auschwitz survivors Liliana Segre, Sami Modiano and Edith Bruck were also vandalized in the past.

“After repeated acts of vandalism in Milan, the Shoah Museum in Rome acquired the three works dedicated to the survivors for its permanent collection. They are now displayed in front of the ancient Portico d’Ottavia, in the heart of the former Jewish ghetto and just a few meters from the Synagogue. This was an important act of resistance, ensuring that these works of remembrance are now preserved and protected.”

Palombo also shared with us why it was important for him to create this mural and how he felt after learning it had been damaged for the second time:

“The massacre of October 7th was the most despicable and profound expression of that ancient anti-Jewish hatred which found its darkest culmination in the horrors of the Shoah. For many years, I have dedicated my art to Memory and the Holocaust, and in the past two years I have felt a moral duty to also recount the events of October 7th and to denounce the antisemitism that continues to spread.

The mural dedicated to the Bibas family was born from this urgency, to preserve memory and transform it into a visible, universal warning that no one can ignore. It is precisely this strength that made the mural a target. When art becomes testimony and memory, it inevitably becomes an obstacle for those who seek to spread hatred and division.

Attacking the work means attempting to erase memory, deny history and intimidate an entire community. It reveals how the fundamentalist project against our freedoms and democracies is not retreating but spreading with virulent force throughout the Western world. Art becomes a target because it is public, visible and universal. Destroying it means striking at identity, memory and the symbolic power of a people.

Today we are witnessing a hybrid war that uses antisemitism as a sophisticated weapon to infiltrate Western democracies, destabilize them from within and undermine the principles of freedom and peaceful coexistence. My art will not yield. It will resist every form of intimidation and threat.”

The images and videos of Shiri and her two boys, a mother clutching her children in terror while armed terrorists dragged them into Gaza, became one of the most painful symbols of October 7th. An image none of us is able to forget. As in all of Palombo’s works,  this mural was not just a painting, it was for all of us a declaration that the world must not look away. We are grateful for the important work and words he shared with us

“ For many years, I have dedicated my art to Memory and the Holocaust, and in the past two years I have felt a moral duty to also recount the events of October 7th and to denounce the antisemitism that continues to spread”