Syria’s 2024 Stamp: A Defiant Symbol of Arab Solidarity with Gaza

In late 2024, in the last days of the Assad regime, Syria issued a powerful postage stamp that resonates far beyond its borders. This stamp carries a strong political message of solidarity with Gaza during the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. Prominently featured is the emblem of the Arab League, along with the words "With Gaza" in both Arabic and English. The design is deeply evocative: on the left, a close-up of a keffiyeh-clad figure gazes out with determination, while the right side depicts destruction with the Palestinian flag rising defiantly amidst the rubble.

This stamp is part of a broader initiative by Arab League countries. According to the Kuwait Times (January 13, 2024), the Arab League agreed during its 44th Session of the Arab Permanent Postal Committee to issue a joint postage stamp in honor of Gaza. The aim: to show unified Arab support for the Palestinian people. As stated by Abdullah Al-Humaida, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Kuwait’s Ministry of Communications for the postal sector, Gaza "had been subjected to a vicious war by the Zionist occupation forces since October 7, 2023, resulting in more than 23,000 deaths and around 60,000 injuries."

The political and historical weight behind this stamp cannot be ignored. While Gaza initiated the war after their barbaric invasion on October 7th, 2023, the likes of which the world has never known and hopefully will never know — this stamp firmly positions Syria and several other Arab states in solidarity with Gaza.

So far, stamps under this initiative have been issued by Syria, Qatar, Oman, Djibouti, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Jordan. Curiously absent, however, are stamps from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt—despite Egypt presiding over the meeting where the decision was made. And intriguingly, no stamp from Kuwait itself has surfaced, even though it was Kuwait’s delegation that publicly championed the initiative. I should add that these stamps are not cheap, and many were also issued in souvenir sheets giving a feel that they are intended for the collector, but I have seen the stamps on mail!

From a philatelic perspective, the Syrian stamp's production quality leaves much to be desired. The printing is coarse, with muted colors and visible pixelation that dulls the impact of the original design. This is typical of recent Syrian issues, where resource constraints and sanctions have led to lower-quality outputs compared to the sharper, more vibrant prints seen in Gulf states like Qatar or Oman.

This postage stamp is more than a collector’s item; it is a symbol of the political fault lines and alliances that continue to shape the Middle East today.