A man in Gaza says he has been duped into selling a Banksy artwork worth thousands that was painted on the door of his war-damaged house for just $175 (£118).
The mural of Niobe, a mourning Greek goddess – entitled Bomb Damage – had been painted on a metal door which was all that remained of the home of Rabie Dardouna, 33, after it was hit by Israeli munitions in last year’s Gaza war.
Now the artwork – one of four painted by the British street artist after he reportedly found his way into Gaza earlier this year – has been removed after Belal Khaled, a local artist, persuaded Dardouna to sell it to him.
Original Banksys can fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds and it appears Dardouna was unaware of who had painted the mural on his wall or what it was worth.
He said: “I did not know that it was this valuable. I heard it can be sold for millions. Now I want the door back.”
Dardouna said he did not know who the British artist was and initially could not pronounce Banksy’s name correctly.
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Speaking to the Guardian on Wednesday, the father of seven, who works for the Palestinian Authority, explained that he had originally not paid much attention to the painting that had appeared on the door and frame.
He said: “When I first noticed the painting, some neighbours told me that someone had come early in the morning with some other people and painted it. I didn’t pay that much attention to it, although people would come and photograph it.
“Then someone called Belal Khaled called me on the phone. He said ‘we’ve painted seven paintings on seven doors and I bought all the doors except for yours and I paid 500 shekels for each’. At first I refused to sell it as I thought the door was worth more as it is heavy metal and I asked for 1,000 shekels. Finally we agreed on 700 shekels [about $175].
“Then he came and cut the door and took it.
“I didn’t know how valuable the door was. I sold it for the value of the metal, not the painting. Then people told me it was a famous international artist and is priceless. I want the door to be set as it was while I rebuild my house. I feel now I was tricked as he told me that he is buying the door not the painting. I was duped.”
Khaled, who declined to be interviewed by the Guardian, has said he did not mean to trick anyone. He said he just wanted to protect the painting and had no intention of profiting.
He told the Associated Press: “I bought the painting to protect its artistic value and preserve it from damage. Another reason is to display it in other places as well. I don’t have any monetary interest in this.”
In a separate interview with Reuters, Khaled said: “Since I started as a graffiti artist it has been my dream to own a piece of Banksy art.”
Khaled said he told Dardouna the painting on his door was by Banksy but it did not seem to register.
He added: “I am not thinking of selling it at the present time. I will consider offers to display it in international galleries to speak about the suffering of Gaza and the agonies of war.”
Some Palestinian activists and journalists have accused the buyer of tricking the Dardounas, while others have defended him for buying it legally. Khaled agreed to show reporters the mural on the condition that its location was not revealed.
Dardouna’s home was one of 18,000 destroyed in the 50-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers last summer. Banksy is a critic of Israel and has created works in Gaza and the West Bank that aim to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinians.
Other Banksy works spotted in Gaza after the mystery visit were a mural of a playful kitten and another of children swinging from a military watchtower.
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