The Eyes of Gaza

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Plestia Alaqad is a Palestinian journalist and author who has emerged as a vital voice in the midst of the destruction in Gaza. Through her unflinching dispatches shared on social media, Alaqad has offered the world an unfiltered glimpse into the harrowing realities of life under siege, her experiences resonating deeply with millions across the globe. In November 2023, as the war escalated, Alaqad and her family were forced to leave Gaza. Since then, she has been awarded the Shireen Abu Akleh Memorial Scholarship for a master's in media studies at the American University of Beirut, where she continues to advocate for justice. Alaqad's remarkable journalism has earned her multiple prestigious accolades, including being named one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2024 and winning the One Young World Journalist of the Year Award, the Lyra McKee Award for Bravery, and a Human Rights Defender Award.

The Eyes of Gaza offers an intimate glimpse through the eyes of 22-year-old Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad, capturing the experience of living through the first 45 days of the 2023 genocide in Gaza. Formatted in the style of a series of diary extracts - reminiscent of Plestia's own journal, and her poignant social media posts during the peak of the crisis - the book endeavours to illustrate the expected horrors of her experience while also showcasing the indomitable spirit and innate humanity of the people of Gaza. This book catalogues a tapestry of deeply human experiences, telling the heartfelt stories of the men, women and children that share Plestia's communities. From the epicentre of turmoil, while bombs rained around her and devastation gripped her people, she witnessed their emotions, their gentle acts of quiet, necessary heroism, and the moments of unexpected tenderness and vulnerability amidst the chaos. The Eyes of Gaza is not just a memoir. Through human stories - through the raw honesty and vulnerability of an average 22-year-old woman trying to make her way through a turbulent world - it serves as a call to action. It seeks to compel a community into solidarity, a nation into transformation, and the wider world into a pursuit for peace. This book is the recounting of a terrible time in the world, but it stands not as a heartbreaking lamentation to a life stolen from Plestia Alaqad; on the contrary, it is a manifesto for hope, advocating for a better fate for Gaza, her home, and a brighter future for all.

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