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WANN

we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

Stories

Technology essential to my life is also used to destroy it

Artificial intelligence and cloud computing, which help me access news and information, also help Israel attack Gaza.
Anonymous
    Long tables and chairs set up for Ramadan iftar.

    Ramadan has come again to Al-Shuja’iyya, but it is not recognizable

    Instead we have a month of absence, of remembering voices that will never speak again and faces that will never smile again.
    Nadera Raied Mushtha
    • Gaza Strip
    Young manstanding on top of ruins of a house

    Where is Nour?

    Nour’s name means ‘light’ in Arabic — without him, our lives remain shrouded in darkness.
    Abdallah Aljazzar
      A young couple sitting in a car

      A surprise reunion after displacement

      ‘For minutes, we just stared into each other’s eyes, unable to believe that after 15 months of separation, we were finally together again.’
      Iman Ibraheem Abo Qamar
      • Gaza Strip
      A woman at a desk with an open notebook, a lantern, and some framed quotations from the Qur'an.

      Celebrating Ramadan in Gaza with hope rooted in our hearts

      Most years, our holy month has been marked by tragedy, yet I am striving this year to experience it with joy, not fear.
      Taqwa Ahmed Al-Wawi
      • Gaza Strip
      Several tents on a dust-filled street.

      Finding home in the ashes

      Returning after the ceasefire was like returning to the place of the ghosts.
      Nadera Raied Mushtha
      • Gaza Strip
      The city of Gaza on the other side of a bay area with people engaged in recreation on the near shore.

      The port — once my sanctuary, now a place of fear

      The war turned a site for relaxation and refreshment into an insecure area that I only ventured to for internet access.
      Zina Nassar
      • Gaza Strip
      Rows of shoes on shelves.

      The love that doesn’t burn

      His fiancée’s steadfastness helped Khaled Al-Zard recover after an Israeli bomb destroyed his shop and his dreams.
      Rola Ameen Al-Dremly
      • Gaza Strip
      Man pulling cart, loaded with large container of water, along sandy street.

      Clinging to survival

      As I reflect on my family’s experiences during Israel’s war against Gaza, I ask myself: Where is the world?
      Waseem Abd Al-Nabi
      • Gaza Strip
      Three women, from behind, at the beach staring at the sea.

      The Dynamic Trio’s reunion

      Meeting my two best friends after wartime separation, I wondered: Had the horrors of war changed our friendship?
      Esraa Abo Qamar
      • Gaza Strip
      A serious-looking man in a suit.

      Eternal in our hearts – my uncle and his children

      Abd Al-Salam’s family was torn in half by an Israeli airstrike, leaving two children without their playmates or father.
      Taqwa Ahmed Al-Wawi
      • Gaza Strip
      Traffic sign in Arabic saying that it is 197 km to Jerusalem.

      197 km to Jerusalem — A Palestinian’s search for home

      To be Palestinian is to carry the weight of lost villages, to inherit a history that is scattered across borders.
      Younis Abdallah
      • Diaspora
      • Lebanon