Born in 1987 in Gaza City, Rufaida Sehwail is a Palestinian visual artist who lives and works in Gaza. From an early age, she displayed a keen interest in art, which she pursued both academically and professionally. She completed her secondary education at Al-Jalil School in 2005 and earned a bachelor's degree in drawing and painting from Al-Aqsa University in 2010. Her passion for education led her to achieve a higher education diploma from the same institution in 2015. Sehwail’s commitment to nurturing artistic talent and education is evident in her roles as a lecturer at Palestine Technical College in Gaza in 2019 and at Gaza Training College, operated by UNRWA. She is also an active member of the General Union of Palestinian Fine Artists, further highlighting her dedication to the arts. Her artistic journey has been marked by numerous accolades. In 2010, she was awarded the prestigious Golden Statue by the Independent Commission for Human Rights. The following year, she earned first place in video art, and in 2012, she received a commendation from the jury of the Young Artist of the Year Award organized by the A.M. Qattan Foundation.

Sehwail’s work spans multiple mediums, including graphic design, photography, video art, painting, and installations. She is known for her distinctive approach to materials, blending traditional techniques with recycled and unconventional elements. Incorporating metal scraps, old windows, dried plants, wood, and fabrics into her art, she creates textures that evoke profound themes of tolerance, generosity, nostalgia, and love. Over the years, Sehwail has showcased her work in numerous exhibitions both locally and internationally. Notable highlights include her participation in the first and second Palestine International Festival Exhibitions in 2010, the Being 86 exhibition in Gaza in 2011, and the Gaza International Video Art Festival in 2012. Her work has been featured in countries such as Italy, Germany, and Serbia, as well as in many Arab countries. Exhibitions like Artists for Palestine in 2013, Imago Group for Small Pieces in Italy in 2017, and the Night of Ideas at the French Cultural Institute in 2018 have solidified her reputation as a significant figure in contemporary art in Gaza.

Reflecting on her experience of war and displacement, Rufaida shares: "I was displaced on the second day of the war when my house and my parents' house were bombed, losing many of my artworks, which I had kept in both places. Its rubble fell while we were inside, and it caught fire. Miraculously, we survived. We left the house with nothing, and the Red Cross and Civil Defense transported us to Al-Shifa Hospital. We stayed there for a while without shoes or blankets, sleeping on the ground. When the occupation forces attacked the Al-Shifa complex and evacuated it, we moved to the southern part of the Gaza Strip. From there, the cycle of displacement continued. While I was in Khan Younis in November, I began to recover and started drawing again on paper. I also conducted voluntary workshops for children at an UNRWA shelter center. However, after some time, the Israeli occupation army forced us to evacuate. Since we hadn’t left after initially being notified, the Israeli forces compelled us to leave without our belongings. As a result, I lost the artwork I had created during that time, along with the art supplies I had purchased. I also lost all my certificates and official documents, which were the only things I had when the house was bombed. When the missile struck the house’s entrance, I woke up and put on my backpack, which contained only my official documents."