Скачать или смотреть The Eyes of Gaza author Plestia Alaqad opens her diary of survival during Israel's genocide

On 6 October 2023, Plestia Alaqad was sitting at a cafe in Gaza with a friend, the two contemplating their futures over pizza and hot chocolate. A young journalism graduate, Plestia already had some reporting, social media, and HR experience under her belt – what might come next?

Hours later, her near future had been determined. She would quickly become one of Gaza’s most prominent and recognisable reporters, a channel through which we would see at least some of the realities of Israel’s brutal and genocidal onslaught on the besieged Palestinian territory.

While reporting, she continued with her longtime habit of keeping a diary, writing entries while in hospital waiting areas and from the homes that sheltered her. She also continued to keep that diary after she left Gaza for Australia in November 2023.

This formed the basis of her debut book, 'The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resilience', which will be published in the UK tomorrow (via Pan Macmillan), and in September in the US (via Little, Brown).

In an interview with The New Arab, Plestia talks about how her book offers a closer look at the reality, emotions, and horrors of life under Israeli bombardment.