Handala

"Hanzala" redirects here. For people with the name Handala or Hanzala, see Hanzala (given name). For the Handala ship used by the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, see July 2025 Gaza Freedom Flotilla. For the hacktivist group, see Handala Hack Team.

Handala
Handala, the Palestinian defiance symbol
First appearance	Al-Seyassah 13 July 1969
Last appearance	1987
Created by	Naji al-Ali
In-universe information
Full name	حنظلة
Gender	Male
Occupation	10 year old child
Affiliation	Justice, steadfastness (see sumud), poverty
Origin	Palestinian refugee
Nationality	Palestinian

Handala (Arabic: حنظلة, romanized: Ḥanẓala), also Handhala, Hanzala or Hanthala, is a prominent national symbol and personification of the Palestinian people.

The character was created in 1969 by political cartoonist Naji al-Ali, and first took its current form in 1973. Handala became the signature of Naji al-Ali's cartoons and remains an iconic symbol of Palestinian identity and defiance. The character has been described as "portraying war, resistance, and the Palestinian identity with astounding clarity".