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MACMILLAN The Eyes of Gaza A Diary of Resilience (International Edition).
In early October 2023, Palestinian Plestia Alaqad was a recent university graduate dreaming of a career as a journalist. But by the end of November, her homeland was unrecognizable—and she was broadcasting videos of violence and destruction to millions online, known across the world as “The Eyes of Gaza.”
On the morning of October 7, 2023, 21-year-old Plestia Alaqad wakes to a flurry of messages and Gaza under bombardment. Civilians flee waves of Israeli strikes. In a few short days, she and her family will be at the epicenter of a violence that is all too familiar for Palestinians—but this time, she knows, things will never be the same.
A series of diary extracts from the weeks following October 7, The Eyes of Gaza is a gutting, on-the-ground record of the turmoil and destruction endured by the men, women, and children of Palestine. As Alaqad flees from neighborhood to neighborhood, from hospital to hospital, she documents all she sees—the destruction of beloved homes, the waves of bombs, and most of all, the boundless bravery and generosity of her people—all the while trying to memorize the faces of those around her “so somebody will have known them before the end,” wondering if, one day, her own journal will be discovered amidst the rubble.
A document of the indomitable Palestinian spirit, told through the voice of one ordinary young woman, The Eyes of Gaza is a tribute to Alaqad’s beloved Gaza, a paean to the courage and endurance of Palestine, and a manifesto of hope for its future.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, 21-year-old Plestia Alaqad wakes to a flurry of messages and Gaza under bombardment. Civilians flee waves of Israeli strikes. In a few short days, she and her family will be at the epicenter of a violence that is all too familiar for Palestinians—but this time, she knows, things will never be the same.
A series of diary extracts from the weeks following October 7, The Eyes of Gaza is a gutting, on-the-ground record of the turmoil and destruction endured by the men, women, and children of Palestine. As Alaqad flees from neighborhood to neighborhood, from hospital to hospital, she documents all she sees—the destruction of beloved homes, the waves of bombs, and most of all, the boundless bravery and generosity of her people—all the while trying to memorize the faces of those around her “so somebody will have known them before the end,” wondering if, one day, her own journal will be discovered amidst the rubble.
A document of the indomitable Palestinian spirit, told through the voice of one ordinary young woman, The Eyes of Gaza is a tribute to Alaqad’s beloved Gaza, a paean to the courage and endurance of Palestine, and a manifesto of hope for its future.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2025
373 people are currently reading
12665 people want to read
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January 1, 2025may 2025 finally be the year we see a free palestine 🙌 🇵🇸
September 4, 2025
The blend of hope and pain, in equal measure, woven through Plestia Alaqad’s writing here makes for both a painful and an inspiring read. I had to force myself to take breaks, even though this book is relatively short. The sheer horror and gravity of the genocide that is happening in real-time.
She started documenting the greatest horrors she would ever face from day 1, October 7th 2023, in a journal and decided to publish this for the world to read.
I already follow her Instagram page, known to the world as The Eyes Of Gaza, which currently has over 4 million followers. This shows raw footage, and daily life in Gaza, amidst Israel’s deadly invasion and bombardment.
I implore everyone to read books written by Palestinians, so you can read firsthand their experiences. Also, you will feel in awe of their resilience and sense of community ✊. It is not an easy read if you are a human being with any levels of empathy, but a necessary one.
5 Stars ✨🍉🇵🇸🖤
She started documenting the greatest horrors she would ever face from day 1, October 7th 2023, in a journal and decided to publish this for the world to read.
I already follow her Instagram page, known to the world as The Eyes Of Gaza, which currently has over 4 million followers. This shows raw footage, and daily life in Gaza, amidst Israel’s deadly invasion and bombardment.
I implore everyone to read books written by Palestinians, so you can read firsthand their experiences. Also, you will feel in awe of their resilience and sense of community ✊. It is not an easy read if you are a human being with any levels of empathy, but a necessary one.
5 Stars ✨🍉🇵🇸🖤
Want to read
September 27, 2024"I stopped posting on Instagram from my journal because I was planning on publishing a book after this gen0c/de ends, I've always wanted to publish a book, I wanted to publish a poetry book, similar to Rupi Kaur's books, she inspires me a lot"
(from Plestia's insta 29 oct 2023)
I'm heartbroken but mostly raging at this world
(from Plestia's insta 29 oct 2023)
I'm heartbroken but mostly raging at this world
June 25, 2025
reading 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑎𝑧𝑎 isn’t for the faint-hearted or the detached. Not after months of witnessing the unspeakable—pixel by pixel, breath by breath—through Plestia’s lens on social media since the very beginning of the genocide. and still, nothing prepares you for this: for her diary, her unfiltered sorrow, the trembling spaces between survival and collapse.
here, the journalist steps aside, and the woman remains. inviting us into the rawest parts of her experience: her fears, her grief, her exhaustion. It’s personal, unfiltered, devastating.
It was a deeply moving read. i come from a place where every Israeli transgression against Palestinians has religiously been condemned, where resistance is not only supported, but sacred. I’ve grown up with the names, the stories, the legacy of grief and courage. I’ve always carried the awareness of the occupation. a closeness to the cause.
but awareness is not the same as intimacy.
and reading her words—line after line, page after page—was something else entirely. It felt like standing at the edge of an open wound. because some stories must be read not just with our eyes, but with everything that aches inside us. but it reminded me, once again, that bearing witness is a responsibility. and this book does exactly that.
April 17, 2025
"It would seem that the eyes and ears of the world aren’t interested in Palestinian life, only in Palestinian death."
The Eyes of Gaza is a heartbreaking and harrowing account of the genocide in Gaza told through Plestia Alaqad's diary entries as she experienced the events firsthand.
This book is a hard but necessary read. It had me in tears nearly throughout and my heart aching from sorrow, helplessness, and frustration.
Plestia was only 21 years old when the genocide started and she had to watch her people and country being killed. While trying to comprehend the death and destruction amidst the chaos of fear and uncertainty, she still decided to document events on social media for the world to see. She's simultaneously a young woman, journalist, daughter, sister, friend, Palestinian, and a victim of genocide though she expresses her frustrations with how Palestinians are often only seen as the latter; as victims or numbers rather than individual human beings who all have lives, hopes, and dreams. Using her own diary entries and recounting stories from and about the people she interacted with, it's impossible for any reader to think of the many deaths in Gaza merely as numbers.
Plestia's reporting on Palestine in late 2023 meant I already knew of her but reading this book allowed for a more insightful and nuanced understanding of her and what she's gone through. Reading her account of what she experienced, how in a few days she went from worrying about what to wear to being unable to sleep due to all the death she'd seen, how big a toll reporting on the genocide took on her mental and physical health on top of having to live it, and yet how she never stopped was such a testament to her bravery and resilience.
These qualities seem to be shared by the Palestinian people as a whole - their resilience, resistance, and refusal to give up or give in is as admirable as it is sad that it constantly has to be put to the test. The continuous stories of Palestinians coming together to support each other in any way possible, even when they've lost their homes or family members and are in fear of their own lives, speaks to the love and community they feel for their people and their country.
Throughout the book, Plestia's sorrow, fear, fatigue, and frustration with not only the genocide itself but also the international reaction or lack thereof is clear. It's hard to read this book without feeling helpless and sad and reckoning with your own privilege as well as the lack of adequate action by those with power in the international community.
The Eyes of Gaza is a visceral and raw book about a currently ongoing genocide. It's both an on-the-ground account and a plea for justice and for the world to wake up and act! It's a hard but necessary read that underscores the humanity of all Palestinians and the need for a free Palestine!
"For Palestinians, the war is never over—ceasefire is merely the space between tragedies. And in that space, we carry with us the unbearable weight of memories that cannot be undone."
//
"It’s a different type of pain, to see your homeland, once covered with olive and lemon trees, lush, fruitful pastures and the remnants of ancient, beautiful humanity, reduced to rubble, populated by camps and tents. I can’t always gather the strength to film what I see, because my eyes don’t want to believe that what they see is true. So instead, I just walk through the camp, between the tents, watching people’s eyes and trying to memorize their faces, so that somebody will have known them before the end."
Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the ARC
The Eyes of Gaza is a heartbreaking and harrowing account of the genocide in Gaza told through Plestia Alaqad's diary entries as she experienced the events firsthand.
This book is a hard but necessary read. It had me in tears nearly throughout and my heart aching from sorrow, helplessness, and frustration.
Plestia was only 21 years old when the genocide started and she had to watch her people and country being killed. While trying to comprehend the death and destruction amidst the chaos of fear and uncertainty, she still decided to document events on social media for the world to see. She's simultaneously a young woman, journalist, daughter, sister, friend, Palestinian, and a victim of genocide though she expresses her frustrations with how Palestinians are often only seen as the latter; as victims or numbers rather than individual human beings who all have lives, hopes, and dreams. Using her own diary entries and recounting stories from and about the people she interacted with, it's impossible for any reader to think of the many deaths in Gaza merely as numbers.
Plestia's reporting on Palestine in late 2023 meant I already knew of her but reading this book allowed for a more insightful and nuanced understanding of her and what she's gone through. Reading her account of what she experienced, how in a few days she went from worrying about what to wear to being unable to sleep due to all the death she'd seen, how big a toll reporting on the genocide took on her mental and physical health on top of having to live it, and yet how she never stopped was such a testament to her bravery and resilience.
These qualities seem to be shared by the Palestinian people as a whole - their resilience, resistance, and refusal to give up or give in is as admirable as it is sad that it constantly has to be put to the test. The continuous stories of Palestinians coming together to support each other in any way possible, even when they've lost their homes or family members and are in fear of their own lives, speaks to the love and community they feel for their people and their country.
Throughout the book, Plestia's sorrow, fear, fatigue, and frustration with not only the genocide itself but also the international reaction or lack thereof is clear. It's hard to read this book without feeling helpless and sad and reckoning with your own privilege as well as the lack of adequate action by those with power in the international community.
The Eyes of Gaza is a visceral and raw book about a currently ongoing genocide. It's both an on-the-ground account and a plea for justice and for the world to wake up and act! It's a hard but necessary read that underscores the humanity of all Palestinians and the need for a free Palestine!
"For Palestinians, the war is never over—ceasefire is merely the space between tragedies. And in that space, we carry with us the unbearable weight of memories that cannot be undone."
//
"It’s a different type of pain, to see your homeland, once covered with olive and lemon trees, lush, fruitful pastures and the remnants of ancient, beautiful humanity, reduced to rubble, populated by camps and tents. I can’t always gather the strength to film what I see, because my eyes don’t want to believe that what they see is true. So instead, I just walk through the camp, between the tents, watching people’s eyes and trying to memorize their faces, so that somebody will have known them before the end."
Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the ARC
October 12, 2025
“Why do we study history when clearly nobody ever learns from it?” 🍉
May 16, 2025
I think writing a typical review of this one would be impossible, because I can’t critique a person's diary who has lived through such a harrowing time.
What I will say is that this was so difficult to read, but so necessary. It’s absolutely heartbreaking, but Plestia writes with an essence of hopefulness too which is so admirable. It really gives you a first person perspective on what’s happening and is continuing to happen in Gaza that we can’t even comprehend.
I can’t imagine how difficult this was to write, let alone be vulnerable enough to share with the world. Highly recommend.
Free Palestine.
What I will say is that this was so difficult to read, but so necessary. It’s absolutely heartbreaking, but Plestia writes with an essence of hopefulness too which is so admirable. It really gives you a first person perspective on what’s happening and is continuing to happen in Gaza that we can’t even comprehend.
I can’t imagine how difficult this was to write, let alone be vulnerable enough to share with the world. Highly recommend.
Free Palestine.
April 16, 2025
I don’t really know how to ‘review’ a book like this, so I’ll just say absolutely read it & Free Palestine 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
June 4, 2025
*Just a note before we begin—about two months ago, Plestia graciously reposted my review. It was an honor I’ll never forget.
I’m sharing this not for attention, but as a reminder: words are never just words. Never simple. Never small. They carry weight, they carry truth, and sometimes—they carry the whole world :)*
___
Growing up, I never thought I’d witness the journalists I saw on TV — the ones standing in Gaza, speaking from Gaza, of Gaza — become names we mourn on a screen. I never imagined I’d see them die in real-time, their voices cut short. But that’s what’s been happening. Over 200 journalists killed. So, when I held this book in my hands — a story about a journalist from Gaza, living through all of it — I knew I’d hold onto it forever.
There’s something about reading The Eyes of Gaza that hit different. It’s not just tragedy on paper. It’s breath. It’s memory. It’s resistance. It’s tea in the morning with my teta and sedo — those few times a year I got to see them. We’d sit together, talk about life, and somehow, Gaza always came up. My teta had visited Gaza numerous of times when she was younger. She told me if she weren’t from El Khalil, she would’ve chosen Gaza. She said it with such love in her eyes, as if Gaza wasn’t just a place, but a person — someone sacred.
That’s exactly how Plestia writes Her — with a capital H.
Gaza isn’t just a city in this book. She’s alive. She’s resilient. She’s full of pain, but also full of this quiet strength that feels like home 🫀
“And yes, there is death and there is destruction… But that’s not what I see when I look at Her. I see only the unity and resilience of Her people.”
And then there are the quotes that cut so deep you don’t know what to do with them except sit in silence:
“We, Palestinians, all have keys to houses that no longer exist.”
When I read that, I showed it to my teta. I thought she’d cry — but it was me. I was the one sobbing.
“How much trauma does it take to start thinking that bombs are like rain? And how much trauma does it take to consider that funny?”
Sometimes, I feel like people forget that the people of Gaza are not numb. They just don’t have the space to fall apart every day. This book doesn’t let you look away — but it also doesn’t shove pain in your face. It reminds you, in the quietest, heaviest way, what it means to be Palestinian. To love your people while the world watches them die. To keep holding keys, telling stories, brewing tea, and surviving — all in the same breath.
There was a moment in the book that completely broke me. (Bear with me guys haha)
“So I do something embarrassing, and ask a taxi driver if he can drive me to Yara’s for free. He agrees on one condition: ‘When I get killed,’ he says, ‘post a nice picture of me online, and ask people to pray for me.’
Everyone in Gaza knows that they’ll eventually die, and that it’s only a matter of time. I smile at the taxi driver and assent.”
I was reading this part when a close friend of mine from Khanyunis messaged me after being silent for nearly a week or two. Her words still ring in my head: “If I die, remember me. Don’t forget me in your prayers and your dua.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d said something like that to me — not the first time death slipped quietly into our conversations — but I still didn’t know how to respond. What do you say to someone who’s preparing you for their disappearance, just in case?
I couldn’t hold my tears. That scene in the book and that message from her — they came together like grief knocking twice. Once through the page, and once through the screen.
___
I don’t know how to sum this review up — and maybe I’m not supposed to. Maybe no one really can. How do you wrap up a reflection on a book that speaks of a tragedy that hasn’t ended? That still unfolds with every passing day?
But I’ll leave it here: Gaza holds a piece of my heart.
I know I could’ve written this review without getting personal, without bringing in my own memories and pain. But I didn’t want to. I wanted this to be a reminder — for anyone who reads it now, or someday later — that Gaza is still suffering. That Palestine is still bleeding.
Two of the dearest people to me are from Gaza. One of them is my former math teacher. She lost her entire family in one of the worst massacres in Jabalia, in northern Gaza. Every day, I check on her. Every day, I wonder how I can possibly help. I don’t always have the answers, but what I do know is this: Palestine will always be in my very heart and mind.
Gaza is bleeding. The West Bank is hurting. Al-Naqab, Al-Rahat — each carries its own weight of grief. But we are all tied to one land, one wound, and one truth.
إلى بلستيا، اللي كتبت رغم الألم والفقدان، وتركت النا كتاب لا يُقرأ، بل يعاش ويُبكى.
To Plestia, who wrote regardless of the pain and loss —
and left us a book not meant to be read, but wept.
فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ
“So patience is most fitting. And Allah is the one sought for help.”
____
PRE READ 🪽🫀
Rarely does a book capture my attention before it’s even published, but The Eyes of Gaza is already stirring something deep within me. Knowing that this work comes from someone who has survived the unimaginable -war and genocide- makes it all the more powerful. This will preserve memories, document the pain, and hope that refuses to die even in the face of darkness.
To read this, is to witness the souls of Gaza.
صوتك وصل لكل قلب، بلستيا، الله يوفقكِ و يهنيكِ.
I’m sharing this not for attention, but as a reminder: words are never just words. Never simple. Never small. They carry weight, they carry truth, and sometimes—they carry the whole world :)*
___
Growing up, I never thought I’d witness the journalists I saw on TV — the ones standing in Gaza, speaking from Gaza, of Gaza — become names we mourn on a screen. I never imagined I’d see them die in real-time, their voices cut short. But that’s what’s been happening. Over 200 journalists killed. So, when I held this book in my hands — a story about a journalist from Gaza, living through all of it — I knew I’d hold onto it forever.
There’s something about reading The Eyes of Gaza that hit different. It’s not just tragedy on paper. It’s breath. It’s memory. It’s resistance. It’s tea in the morning with my teta and sedo — those few times a year I got to see them. We’d sit together, talk about life, and somehow, Gaza always came up. My teta had visited Gaza numerous of times when she was younger. She told me if she weren’t from El Khalil, she would’ve chosen Gaza. She said it with such love in her eyes, as if Gaza wasn’t just a place, but a person — someone sacred.
That’s exactly how Plestia writes Her — with a capital H.
Gaza isn’t just a city in this book. She’s alive. She’s resilient. She’s full of pain, but also full of this quiet strength that feels like home 🫀
“And yes, there is death and there is destruction… But that’s not what I see when I look at Her. I see only the unity and resilience of Her people.”
And then there are the quotes that cut so deep you don’t know what to do with them except sit in silence:
“We, Palestinians, all have keys to houses that no longer exist.”
When I read that, I showed it to my teta. I thought she’d cry — but it was me. I was the one sobbing.
“How much trauma does it take to start thinking that bombs are like rain? And how much trauma does it take to consider that funny?”
Sometimes, I feel like people forget that the people of Gaza are not numb. They just don’t have the space to fall apart every day. This book doesn’t let you look away — but it also doesn’t shove pain in your face. It reminds you, in the quietest, heaviest way, what it means to be Palestinian. To love your people while the world watches them die. To keep holding keys, telling stories, brewing tea, and surviving — all in the same breath.
There was a moment in the book that completely broke me. (Bear with me guys haha)
“So I do something embarrassing, and ask a taxi driver if he can drive me to Yara’s for free. He agrees on one condition: ‘When I get killed,’ he says, ‘post a nice picture of me online, and ask people to pray for me.’
Everyone in Gaza knows that they’ll eventually die, and that it’s only a matter of time. I smile at the taxi driver and assent.”
I was reading this part when a close friend of mine from Khanyunis messaged me after being silent for nearly a week or two. Her words still ring in my head: “If I die, remember me. Don’t forget me in your prayers and your dua.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d said something like that to me — not the first time death slipped quietly into our conversations — but I still didn’t know how to respond. What do you say to someone who’s preparing you for their disappearance, just in case?
I couldn’t hold my tears. That scene in the book and that message from her — they came together like grief knocking twice. Once through the page, and once through the screen.
___
I don’t know how to sum this review up — and maybe I’m not supposed to. Maybe no one really can. How do you wrap up a reflection on a book that speaks of a tragedy that hasn’t ended? That still unfolds with every passing day?
But I’ll leave it here: Gaza holds a piece of my heart.
I know I could’ve written this review without getting personal, without bringing in my own memories and pain. But I didn’t want to. I wanted this to be a reminder — for anyone who reads it now, or someday later — that Gaza is still suffering. That Palestine is still bleeding.
Two of the dearest people to me are from Gaza. One of them is my former math teacher. She lost her entire family in one of the worst massacres in Jabalia, in northern Gaza. Every day, I check on her. Every day, I wonder how I can possibly help. I don’t always have the answers, but what I do know is this: Palestine will always be in my very heart and mind.
Gaza is bleeding. The West Bank is hurting. Al-Naqab, Al-Rahat — each carries its own weight of grief. But we are all tied to one land, one wound, and one truth.
إلى بلستيا، اللي كتبت رغم الألم والفقدان، وتركت النا كتاب لا يُقرأ، بل يعاش ويُبكى.
To Plestia, who wrote regardless of the pain and loss —
and left us a book not meant to be read, but wept.
فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ
“So patience is most fitting. And Allah is the one sought for help.”
____
PRE READ 🪽🫀
Rarely does a book capture my attention before it’s even published, but The Eyes of Gaza is already stirring something deep within me. Knowing that this work comes from someone who has survived the unimaginable -war and genocide- makes it all the more powerful. This will preserve memories, document the pain, and hope that refuses to die even in the face of darkness.
To read this, is to witness the souls of Gaza.
صوتك وصل لكل قلب، بلستيا، الله يوفقكِ و يهنيكِ.
December 30, 2025
“Ojalá este libro te haya sentir algo, ya sea ira, tristeza, esperanza, o una mezcla de todo, porque es sentir es estar viva. Y mientras vivamos, podemos luchar. Podemos luchar por un mundo en el que ningún niño tenga que crearse escuchando el zumbido de los drones, en vez de nanas, en el que ninguna familia viva con miedo a verse, separada por fuerzas más allá de su control, y en el que nadie se vaya a dormir, con el temor a perder su cuerpo, su casa o sus sueños.”
November 13, 2025
Absolutely heartbreaking. Awful to think of just how many stories were destroyed in an instant.
October 9, 2025
“The story doesn’t end here. The story is yet to start”. May we see a free Palestine in our lifetime.
May 26, 2025
plestia’s strength and bravery shared through her raw testimony of the ongoing genocide in gaza is truly commendable. an essential read for everyone.
Read
June 13, 2025Free Palestine 🇵🇸
May 3, 2025
i am from england, i consider myself cornish. my dad is ‘israeli’. he was born there, lived there for a lot of his life, moved to cornwall, met my mother and had me. through my life, i visited ‘israel’ and spent time with my family, marvelled in its beauty, and believed everything everyone told me about the ‘war’. as a child, i blindly went along with the lies and believed the propaganda they all fed me, i wrote essays about it in my english classes and got A’s, i told my friends about how us as ‘israelis’ are victims.
my dad was never a nice person and we always had a strained relationship, so i moved out the first chance i could. and when that happened, i finally broke free of the blind belief. i did my own research, i stopped calling myself ‘israeli’, and i made it publicly known that i was in support of a free palestine. my dad found this out, he told me to never call him ‘dad’ again, and sent his family to my social media to harass me.
when the genocide began, my dad tried once again to radicalise me and i realised that he and so many other ‘israelis’ are so brainwashed that they are beyond saving. they genuinely believe that palestinians and arabs are animals, they believe that none of them are innocent, even children. it disgusts me. i wish that they would find it in themselves to read this beautiful book, to understand that palestinians are human beings that deserve none of what they are subjected to.
i feel so much guilt that i not only once believed the lies, but that i am ‘israeli’ at all, that i ever considered myself to be one. i am sorry. i am so sorry.
my dad was never a nice person and we always had a strained relationship, so i moved out the first chance i could. and when that happened, i finally broke free of the blind belief. i did my own research, i stopped calling myself ‘israeli’, and i made it publicly known that i was in support of a free palestine. my dad found this out, he told me to never call him ‘dad’ again, and sent his family to my social media to harass me.
when the genocide began, my dad tried once again to radicalise me and i realised that he and so many other ‘israelis’ are so brainwashed that they are beyond saving. they genuinely believe that palestinians and arabs are animals, they believe that none of them are innocent, even children. it disgusts me. i wish that they would find it in themselves to read this beautiful book, to understand that palestinians are human beings that deserve none of what they are subjected to.
i feel so much guilt that i not only once believed the lies, but that i am ‘israeli’ at all, that i ever considered myself to be one. i am sorry. i am so sorry.
April 30, 2025
What a humbling reading experience ...
There is so much privilege in the fact that I could read this collection of thoughts, reflections, and feelings from the comfort of my home - and this cannot be emphasized enough. Reading about the atrocities commited by the occupation forces, however, is the least one can do, and could never be compared to actually experiencing and living through these bombings and losses. Plestia's writing is honest and vulnerable, easy to read and flows so well despite the heavy subject matter. May Palestine be free one day, and may the world finally wake up and stop the financial and moral support of this genocide. 🍉🍉🍉
"The world can't pretend that there are two sides any more. There is no humanity, no equity, no semblance of justice. It's a calculated, deliberate and ruthless ethnic cleansing, and nobody seems to care enough." (62)
There is so much privilege in the fact that I could read this collection of thoughts, reflections, and feelings from the comfort of my home - and this cannot be emphasized enough. Reading about the atrocities commited by the occupation forces, however, is the least one can do, and could never be compared to actually experiencing and living through these bombings and losses. Plestia's writing is honest and vulnerable, easy to read and flows so well despite the heavy subject matter. May Palestine be free one day, and may the world finally wake up and stop the financial and moral support of this genocide. 🍉🍉🍉
Read
December 28, 20252025 reads: 347/300
palestinian journalist plestia alaqad details the horrors of genocide alongside the incredible resilience of her fellow palestinians. as someone who has been following plestia for a couple years now, i’ve been looking forward to reading this book since hearing it was coming up. this was such a heartbreaking diary, especially considering that israel’s genocide is still ongoing. the audiobook was narrated by plestia herself, and i always love when authors narrate such personal stories. this is a must-read for anyone supportive of a free palestine.
palestinian journalist plestia alaqad details the horrors of genocide alongside the incredible resilience of her fellow palestinians. as someone who has been following plestia for a couple years now, i’ve been looking forward to reading this book since hearing it was coming up. this was such a heartbreaking diary, especially considering that israel’s genocide is still ongoing. the audiobook was narrated by plestia herself, and i always love when authors narrate such personal stories. this is a must-read for anyone supportive of a free palestine.
April 27, 2025
“It would seem that the eyes and the ears of the world aren’t interested in Palestinian life, only in Palestinian death”
This was not an easy read, but it’s a book EVERYONE should read! Free Palestine🍉
This was not an easy read, but it’s a book EVERYONE should read! Free Palestine🍉
April 22, 2025
Truly beautiful book! But if you hate Israel already, I must tell you that your hate is going transcend beyond the galaxy!!!
June 11, 2025
So I finished reading this book with rage, sorrow, hope and a mix of it all. The Eyes of Gaza was written by a young Palestinian journalist who shared her harrowing experiences living through an ongoing genocide in Gaza following 7 October.
"In an interview, someone asks me what the Genocide has taught me. And I respond pretty aggressively, claiming that I knew a lot about life and that I didn’t need a Genocide to teach me anything else. We eventually laugh about it, move on and that part of the interview never airs. But looking back on it, I think I was bitter because I hate the idea that I needed 33,000 (at last count) people to die in order to learn a lesson. It was a rude question to ask me."
"In an interview, someone asks me what the Genocide has taught me. And I respond pretty aggressively, claiming that I knew a lot about life and that I didn’t need a Genocide to teach me anything else. We eventually laugh about it, move on and that part of the interview never airs. But looking back on it, I think I was bitter because I hate the idea that I needed 33,000 (at last count) people to die in order to learn a lesson. It was a rude question to ask me."
May 2, 2025
Literally, I don't know how to review a book like this when all my life I've read fiction/fantasy and non-fiction only when it comes to self-help or Islamic books. We're living through an era where an entire area and its people are being wiped off the map and all we can do is scroll through Instagram or X, watching how casually this genocide is unfolding. It breaks my heart that I'm not reading the diary of a WW survivor, but a book by an author who living through all of this and we, the readers, are experiencing second-hand trauma while living in this very era.
"But I enjoy watching sunsets and sunrise, and I do both today. And nobody can take that away frome me, not until they kill me. Not even Israel"
Plestia Alaqad shares her diary from October 7, 2023—what she experienced during that horrible timd. Reading her emotions and seeing everything through her eyes is far more heartbreaking. It's like I'm standing in Plestia's place seeing and experiencing it all myself.
The author is a journalist, but heartbreakingly, I see Plestia describing everything in this book as a survivor. She encounters so many devastating stories and she herself was on the verge of death the entire time she was in Gaza. Every story is deeply emotional, but Bilsan’s story hit me right in the heart.
"She has dreams of being a teacher, but right now she's stuck at the hospital, limbless and with scars all over her beautiful face. What did she do? What did she do to deserve that? Despite her tragic circumstances, there's still joy in Bilsan."
Plestia mentions her teta (grandma) several times in the book someone who was just 2 years old at the time of the Nakba and is still experiencing all of this today. I found that very heartfelt and sad. As a Pakistani, almost 50% of households have grandparents who had to flee their homes in India, leaving behind memories and even loved ones in horrible circumstances. But after 1947, they settled here still grieving, but at least no longer fearing for their lives or homes. That's why it's so cruel to see teta and many others like her still going through this. In the book, Plestia mentions that her teta doesn't talk much and I can hardly imagine what she must be carrying inside.
Usually, I don't read books like this but in my opinion, as human beings, it's our responsibility to appreciate courageous people like Plestia and share their work with the rest of the world. As Plestia herself beautifully puts it:
"You might be wondering what to do to not feel survivor's guilt or sorry for yourself. The answer is that we should keep speaking up for Palestine, even if that doesn't change the world. We must not allow the world, as cruel as it might seem, to change our hearts. It's important that at the end of the day, when you look at yourself in the mirror, you see a person who stands up for what's right in this world."
If I start mentioning everything I liked then this whole book would need to be quoted here.
"But I enjoy watching sunsets and sunrise, and I do both today. And nobody can take that away frome me, not until they kill me. Not even Israel"
Plestia Alaqad shares her diary from October 7, 2023—what she experienced during that horrible timd. Reading her emotions and seeing everything through her eyes is far more heartbreaking. It's like I'm standing in Plestia's place seeing and experiencing it all myself.
The author is a journalist, but heartbreakingly, I see Plestia describing everything in this book as a survivor. She encounters so many devastating stories and she herself was on the verge of death the entire time she was in Gaza. Every story is deeply emotional, but Bilsan’s story hit me right in the heart.
"She has dreams of being a teacher, but right now she's stuck at the hospital, limbless and with scars all over her beautiful face. What did she do? What did she do to deserve that? Despite her tragic circumstances, there's still joy in Bilsan."
Plestia mentions her teta (grandma) several times in the book someone who was just 2 years old at the time of the Nakba and is still experiencing all of this today. I found that very heartfelt and sad. As a Pakistani, almost 50% of households have grandparents who had to flee their homes in India, leaving behind memories and even loved ones in horrible circumstances. But after 1947, they settled here still grieving, but at least no longer fearing for their lives or homes. That's why it's so cruel to see teta and many others like her still going through this. In the book, Plestia mentions that her teta doesn't talk much and I can hardly imagine what she must be carrying inside.
Usually, I don't read books like this but in my opinion, as human beings, it's our responsibility to appreciate courageous people like Plestia and share their work with the rest of the world. As Plestia herself beautifully puts it:
"You might be wondering what to do to not feel survivor's guilt or sorry for yourself. The answer is that we should keep speaking up for Palestine, even if that doesn't change the world. We must not allow the world, as cruel as it might seem, to change our hearts. It's important that at the end of the day, when you look at yourself in the mirror, you see a person who stands up for what's right in this world."
If I start mentioning everything I liked then this whole book would need to be quoted here.
April 16, 2025
The Eyes of Gaza by Plestia Alaqad.
•
“I'm excited that I'll get the chance to have my voice heard as a Palestinian. It's rare that we get a platform to talk about our own home; usually, others speak on our behalf.”
•
Devastating. Hopeful. Heart shattering. Incomprehensible.
A tough read, for sure: but incredible necessary. There are some books I believe everybody should read and this is one of them. This book absolutely shattered my soul, I will never forget it.
This is a memoir, a journal of resistance, a desperate cry for justice: a diary of resilience.
Plestia is a journalist, fighting to divulge the truth. She is a daughter, trying to protect her mother. She is a sister, a friend, a niece, a cousin. She is a best friend, a coworker. She is a young girl in her mid twenties who is reliving decades old ethnic cleansing in her own home. She is a HUMAN BEING. The raw accounts within the diary entries shattered my soul; and furthermore what tore me apart was the realisation of how resilient and desensitised she has become to it all. She often makes little remarks/quips, but how much trauma does one person need to endure to be able to find light in such darkness?
The moments that brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes the most were those in juxtaposition to our own lives. Plestia is 23 years old. This book held up a mirror to my own privilege and reflected it back to me. At 23, I was in university without a care in the world except for rehearsals and coursework. At 23, Plestia was fighting to reveal the truth to the world, she was displaced, she was rationing food, no place was safe; not even a hospital.
I will write my full review soon, but I beg you: please read this book. Out April 17th.
I was sent this book as an early proof copy from Macmillan, but my review is my own thoughts.
•
“How many times is a person supposed to start from zero just because they’re PaIestinian, living in Gaza? And how many houses can a PaIestinian build and work on and turn into a home, only to have an IsraeIi decide to bomb it? Just because they can.”
•
“I'm excited that I'll get the chance to have my voice heard as a Palestinian. It's rare that we get a platform to talk about our own home; usually, others speak on our behalf.”
•
Devastating. Hopeful. Heart shattering. Incomprehensible.
A tough read, for sure: but incredible necessary. There are some books I believe everybody should read and this is one of them. This book absolutely shattered my soul, I will never forget it.
This is a memoir, a journal of resistance, a desperate cry for justice: a diary of resilience.
Plestia is a journalist, fighting to divulge the truth. She is a daughter, trying to protect her mother. She is a sister, a friend, a niece, a cousin. She is a best friend, a coworker. She is a young girl in her mid twenties who is reliving decades old ethnic cleansing in her own home. She is a HUMAN BEING. The raw accounts within the diary entries shattered my soul; and furthermore what tore me apart was the realisation of how resilient and desensitised she has become to it all. She often makes little remarks/quips, but how much trauma does one person need to endure to be able to find light in such darkness?
The moments that brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes the most were those in juxtaposition to our own lives. Plestia is 23 years old. This book held up a mirror to my own privilege and reflected it back to me. At 23, I was in university without a care in the world except for rehearsals and coursework. At 23, Plestia was fighting to reveal the truth to the world, she was displaced, she was rationing food, no place was safe; not even a hospital.
I will write my full review soon, but I beg you: please read this book. Out April 17th.
I was sent this book as an early proof copy from Macmillan, but my review is my own thoughts.
•
“How many times is a person supposed to start from zero just because they’re PaIestinian, living in Gaza? And how many houses can a PaIestinian build and work on and turn into a home, only to have an IsraeIi decide to bomb it? Just because they can.”
May 11, 2025
a must read for anyone who considers themselves human
plestia was the eyes of gaza for us and thanks to her -and all the palestinian journalists- the world outside of palestine got to see this genocide that's still happening today. even after the "ceasefires". we all know a ceasefire for israel is a mere suggestion and background noise
the intimacy of writing a diary that no one else was gonna read at first and her allowing herself to write all the emotions (and opinions!) that she didn't want to show on the outside was cathartic and heartbreaking
i loved seeing plestia's humor in some of her entries! mohamed 2, the man whose name was probably also mohamed because everyone in gaza is named mohamed, the donkey, her brother's lack of privacy, her being a directioner when she was younger
this book is palestinian resilience, resistance and history, things israel tries to destroy daily. i hope they know what this book entails will never disappear from this world or the next
plestia was the eyes of gaza for us and thanks to her -and all the palestinian journalists- the world outside of palestine got to see this genocide that's still happening today. even after the "ceasefires". we all know a ceasefire for israel is a mere suggestion and background noise
the intimacy of writing a diary that no one else was gonna read at first and her allowing herself to write all the emotions (and opinions!) that she didn't want to show on the outside was cathartic and heartbreaking
i loved seeing plestia's humor in some of her entries! mohamed 2, the man whose name was probably also mohamed because everyone in gaza is named mohamed, the donkey, her brother's lack of privacy, her being a directioner when she was younger
this book is palestinian resilience, resistance and history, things israel tries to destroy daily. i hope they know what this book entails will never disappear from this world or the next
July 13, 2025
I sat for 3 hours wondering how I could even consider rating The Eyes Of Gaza. Then I thought, how can I not? I’ve sat for another hour wondering how I could write a review that would do the book any justice, and the truth is I can’t. Nothing I could say could be more impactful than Plestia’s diary. So, I would implore everyone to read it.
I keep coming back to two simple facts, Plestia is the same age as my daughter, Plestia and my daughter both wear necklaces gifted to them by their grandmothers, both necklaces outline their homeland. My daughter has never had to journal her way through a genocide.
At the end of the book, we are in early 2024 in the diary, a ceasefire has been agreed. Way over a year later, just as I was about to stop the recording a news flash popped up on my screen, children collecting water are among the latest victims of an air strike. Is there a bigger word than devastating?
I keep coming back to two simple facts, Plestia is the same age as my daughter, Plestia and my daughter both wear necklaces gifted to them by their grandmothers, both necklaces outline their homeland. My daughter has never had to journal her way through a genocide.
At the end of the book, we are in early 2024 in the diary, a ceasefire has been agreed. Way over a year later, just as I was about to stop the recording a news flash popped up on my screen, children collecting water are among the latest victims of an air strike. Is there a bigger word than devastating?
September 17, 2025
I don’t think people really grasp that this is real. This is happening, people are displaced and dying. What a powerful book and I feel lucky and privileged to be able to have read it.
June 13, 2025
I don’t really know how to review something like this as it was so personal and raw. I still can’t believe some of the stuff I was reading about are actually happening right now in this world. This is a diary that Plestia kept following 7 October and her journey into becoming a press journalist during the ongoing Palestinian genocide. It is a tough but necessary glimpse into how such a normal person’s life can be turned completely upside down and the scale of the destruction that is being witnessed by millions of people. I loved her poetry and some of her musings on life were really special, despite the pain she is going through. Really recommend reading this and we will not rest until Palestine is free.
October 19, 2025
A must read!
May 26, 2025
Content warnings: genocide, death, death of a loved one, death of a child, explosions, gun violence, blood, discussion of amputations, Islamophobia, colonisation, occupation
God, my heart. This is essential reading. It broke my heart multiple times, and I don't know what to say about it other than to give you several quotes from the book that I highlighted while reading:
- "Nobody in Gaza is alive through anything other than sheer luck."
- "I myself buy a bracelet kit for my cousins, Bara'a and Reena. Since the beginning of the Genocide, they've been obsessed with making bracelets for everyone. I wish I could say that it was for fun, but they've been branding each bracelet with a name, in case its intended owner gets killed."
- "Sometimes I wish that I'd just die, for the sake of resting in peace, and sometimes I wish to live, to one day see Palestine become free."
- "In Gaza, you are never just a number. Even though we lose more people than our hearts can handle, every single one is remembered, and loved, and mourned. Because that's what you'd want to happen for you, and that's the least that a human deserves."
- "I've always thought of journalism as a noble profession, but I never knew that being a Palestinian journalist is a crime. When I see news of a journalist being killed, or a journalist's family being targeted, I wonder if my family will be next."
- "Wars do not end when the bombs stop falling."
God, my heart. This is essential reading. It broke my heart multiple times, and I don't know what to say about it other than to give you several quotes from the book that I highlighted while reading:
- "Nobody in Gaza is alive through anything other than sheer luck."
- "I myself buy a bracelet kit for my cousins, Bara'a and Reena. Since the beginning of the Genocide, they've been obsessed with making bracelets for everyone. I wish I could say that it was for fun, but they've been branding each bracelet with a name, in case its intended owner gets killed."
- "Sometimes I wish that I'd just die, for the sake of resting in peace, and sometimes I wish to live, to one day see Palestine become free."
- "In Gaza, you are never just a number. Even though we lose more people than our hearts can handle, every single one is remembered, and loved, and mourned. Because that's what you'd want to happen for you, and that's the least that a human deserves."
- "I've always thought of journalism as a noble profession, but I never knew that being a Palestinian journalist is a crime. When I see news of a journalist being killed, or a journalist's family being targeted, I wonder if my family will be next."
- "Wars do not end when the bombs stop falling."
September 27, 2025
First and foremost, what is happening in Palestine right now is horrific beyond words. The genocide, the ongoing ethnic cleansing, the suffering of innocent people, the loss of entire families, the destruction of homes and lives. None of it should ever be normalized or forgotten. As people around the world, it is on us to keep our eyes on Palestine, to educate ourselves, to ask questions, to amplify their voices, and to never look away. All eyes should be on Palestine.
Now, about the book itself. I went in with different expectations and I think that is why this ended up being a 3-star read for me. To be clear, I am not rating the ethnic cleansing or the reality Palestinians are facing. Nothing and nobody can ever be rated when it comes to the genocide. This review is only about the author’s writing and the book as a memoir.
The writing style is very basic and easy to read. Usually that is a positive for me but here it felt like a downside because the tone did not carry the weight or impact I expected from a book about such a devastating topic. I went in hoping to get a deeper look into the horrific reality on the ground but instead the book felt more like snippets from her personal experience. That is on me since it is a memoir, but I was looking for something more detailed about the larger situation in Gaza.
Even so, it is still a good book to have if you are starting to learn about the ethnic cleansing in Palestine and want to hear a firsthand voice.
Now, about the book itself. I went in with different expectations and I think that is why this ended up being a 3-star read for me. To be clear, I am not rating the ethnic cleansing or the reality Palestinians are facing. Nothing and nobody can ever be rated when it comes to the genocide. This review is only about the author’s writing and the book as a memoir.
The writing style is very basic and easy to read. Usually that is a positive for me but here it felt like a downside because the tone did not carry the weight or impact I expected from a book about such a devastating topic. I went in hoping to get a deeper look into the horrific reality on the ground but instead the book felt more like snippets from her personal experience. That is on me since it is a memoir, but I was looking for something more detailed about the larger situation in Gaza.
Even so, it is still a good book to have if you are starting to learn about the ethnic cleansing in Palestine and want to hear a firsthand voice.
May 15, 2025
Even five stars aren’t enough for this book.
This journal allowed me to put myself in the shoes of a journalist who was active from the very beginning of the genocide, and who quickly became known and followed by many. Reading her thoughts, reading what goes on in the mind of someone who experienced the beginning of the genocide and fled because of it, helped me also sort through my own thoughts about this ongoing genocide that only continues to escalate.
Reading the stories of people she interviewed—displaced individuals in Gaza, doctors, grandmothers who lived through the Nakba—opened my eyes even more to the current crisis. We don’t have just numbers—we have people dying, stories, emotional bonds behind the terrorist acts of Is****.
Plestia Alaqad, thank you for publishing your journal and giving us the chance to read your words. Behind your job as a journalist with your phone, your helmet, and your press vest, we got to know who you are and how you experienced all of this.
May Allah help you, may Allah liberate your people, and may Allah free Palestine from all this oppression.
This journal allowed me to put myself in the shoes of a journalist who was active from the very beginning of the genocide, and who quickly became known and followed by many. Reading her thoughts, reading what goes on in the mind of someone who experienced the beginning of the genocide and fled because of it, helped me also sort through my own thoughts about this ongoing genocide that only continues to escalate.
Reading the stories of people she interviewed—displaced individuals in Gaza, doctors, grandmothers who lived through the Nakba—opened my eyes even more to the current crisis. We don’t have just numbers—we have people dying, stories, emotional bonds behind the terrorist acts of Is****.
Plestia Alaqad, thank you for publishing your journal and giving us the chance to read your words. Behind your job as a journalist with your phone, your helmet, and your press vest, we got to know who you are and how you experienced all of this.
May Allah help you, may Allah liberate your people, and may Allah free Palestine from all this oppression.
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