What do you think?
Rate this book
Voices of Resistance : Diaries of Genocide
FOREWORD by GILLIAN SLOVO
INTRODUCTION by CARYL CHURCHILL
For two years, the world has witnessed image after devastating image from Israel’s genocide in videos, photos, and Instagram reels showing blanket bombardment, cities in ruin, and entire families pulled from the rubble of their homes. Such enormity can be difficult to process, but behind each image lie ordinary lives full of hope, love and community.
In these diaries, four Gazan women – Batool Abu Akleen, Sondos Sabra, Nahil Mohana and Ala'a Obaid – offer first-hand accounts of Israeli airstrikes, forced displacement and engineered famine. These atrocities are documented alongside the everyday defiance of from the neighbour who fashions an ashtray from the shrapnel of an Israeli missile, to the street vendor who donates his last egg for a child’s birthday cake, to the community of displaced people who pool their resources to stage a traditional wedding.
Even when displaced, under fire, forced to bury loved ones, or thrown on the mercy of a devastated health system, the writers of these diaries never abandon their humanity, their individuality, or their belief in the future of Gaza. These are not stories of pity; these are stories filled with love, humour, and the beauty of Palestinian people and culture. In the face of genocide, the existence of these diaries, like the very survival of their authors, is an act of resistance.
All proceeds will be split between the diarists.
Praise for Voices of Resistance
'This is the most powerful work of collective testament I have ever read. It is a breathtaking and spirit-forging book. It tells it as it is. It could not be more crucial or more urgent. Read it now.’ — Ali Smith
‘An extraordinary book. Voices of Resistance opens a rare window into the reality of young women living under brutal siege in the 21st their loss, terror and grief; their hope, ingenuity, curiosity and humour as well as despair. These testimonials come straight from hell, and yet – read them, you’ll see – they are radiant with undiminished life.’ — Olivia Laing
‘It isn’t true that there are ’no words’ to describe life in Gaza during the genocide. The words are here — brilliant, devastating, unexpected. Read them.’ — Kamila Shamsie
‘These diaries show us the human cost of Israel's UK-backed genocide in Gaza. When the F-35s drop their bombs, this is where they fall and this is who they fall on. Yet the women in these diaries exhibit strength and dignity that the barbarity of colonialism can never diminish. Their love of family, of community and of the land passed down to them through generations, is more enduring than all the weapons of imperialism. As these testimonies demonstrate, Gaza will survive and Palestine will be free.’ — Zarah Sultana MP
‘Read this book and weep, but read it also with such admiration for these four women and the community from which they come’. – Rebecca Servadio
'Heart-breaking yet illuminating, these diaries from Gaza are a must-read for all people of conscience.' - Xiran Jay Zhao
‘The most important book in the world.
INTRODUCTION by CARYL CHURCHILL
For two years, the world has witnessed image after devastating image from Israel’s genocide in videos, photos, and Instagram reels showing blanket bombardment, cities in ruin, and entire families pulled from the rubble of their homes. Such enormity can be difficult to process, but behind each image lie ordinary lives full of hope, love and community.
In these diaries, four Gazan women – Batool Abu Akleen, Sondos Sabra, Nahil Mohana and Ala'a Obaid – offer first-hand accounts of Israeli airstrikes, forced displacement and engineered famine. These atrocities are documented alongside the everyday defiance of from the neighbour who fashions an ashtray from the shrapnel of an Israeli missile, to the street vendor who donates his last egg for a child’s birthday cake, to the community of displaced people who pool their resources to stage a traditional wedding.
Even when displaced, under fire, forced to bury loved ones, or thrown on the mercy of a devastated health system, the writers of these diaries never abandon their humanity, their individuality, or their belief in the future of Gaza. These are not stories of pity; these are stories filled with love, humour, and the beauty of Palestinian people and culture. In the face of genocide, the existence of these diaries, like the very survival of their authors, is an act of resistance.
All proceeds will be split between the diarists.
Praise for Voices of Resistance
'This is the most powerful work of collective testament I have ever read. It is a breathtaking and spirit-forging book. It tells it as it is. It could not be more crucial or more urgent. Read it now.’ — Ali Smith
‘An extraordinary book. Voices of Resistance opens a rare window into the reality of young women living under brutal siege in the 21st their loss, terror and grief; their hope, ingenuity, curiosity and humour as well as despair. These testimonials come straight from hell, and yet – read them, you’ll see – they are radiant with undiminished life.’ — Olivia Laing
‘It isn’t true that there are ’no words’ to describe life in Gaza during the genocide. The words are here — brilliant, devastating, unexpected. Read them.’ — Kamila Shamsie
‘These diaries show us the human cost of Israel's UK-backed genocide in Gaza. When the F-35s drop their bombs, this is where they fall and this is who they fall on. Yet the women in these diaries exhibit strength and dignity that the barbarity of colonialism can never diminish. Their love of family, of community and of the land passed down to them through generations, is more enduring than all the weapons of imperialism. As these testimonies demonstrate, Gaza will survive and Palestine will be free.’ — Zarah Sultana MP
‘Read this book and weep, but read it also with such admiration for these four women and the community from which they come’. – Rebecca Servadio
'Heart-breaking yet illuminating, these diaries from Gaza are a must-read for all people of conscience.' - Xiran Jay Zhao
‘The most important book in the world.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 14, 2025
3 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 24, 2025
Focused more on four personal stories, you'll still pick up some history in here whether you like it or not. It's got a timeline and a map for reference.
There are diary entries filled with daily life, birthdays, hope, babies, fear, prayers, imprisonment, resilience, siege, appeals to the world, and everything else you can imagine. This is an important record of this period in history where genocide is clearly happening and the US refuses to end arms and money to Israel and most US citizens still believe Palestinians are the aggressors instead of the occupied people Zionism/Israel has been trying to eliminate for a hundred years. Shame on us all for allowing this genocide to continue.
There are diary entries filled with daily life, birthdays, hope, babies, fear, prayers, imprisonment, resilience, siege, appeals to the world, and everything else you can imagine. This is an important record of this period in history where genocide is clearly happening and the US refuses to end arms and money to Israel and most US citizens still believe Palestinians are the aggressors instead of the occupied people Zionism/Israel has been trying to eliminate for a hundred years. Shame on us all for allowing this genocide to continue.
October 5, 2025
Devastating, enraging, and beautifully written all at the same time. 200 pages documenting the lives, words and history of four Gazan women; Batool Abu Akleen, Sondos Sabra, Nahil Mohana, and Ala’a Obaid. The diary entries depict the perfectly ordinary craving for a coffee, juxtaposed with the horror of losing multiple family members within hours. Quadcopters playing the sounds of screaming women to lure the people out like bait only to then shoot at them (remember in that dystopian fictional novel Hunger Games when Katniss Everdeen is tortured with recordings of her sister’s screaming??).
A humbling opportunity to check my own blessings and privilege- how far would I go to source the impossible and obtain a single egg to make a birthday cake for someone special? How would I have managed birthing my children without access to professional care, medication and pain relief?
We have chanted and protested to give the Palestinians a voice. This publication is part of that voice. All proceeds from the sales of this book will go to the writers.
A humbling opportunity to check my own blessings and privilege- how far would I go to source the impossible and obtain a single egg to make a birthday cake for someone special? How would I have managed birthing my children without access to professional care, medication and pain relief?
We have chanted and protested to give the Palestinians a voice. This publication is part of that voice. All proceeds from the sales of this book will go to the writers.
August 16, 2025
Four remarkable women from Gaza—Batool Abu Akleen, Sondos Sabra, Nahil Mohana, and Ala’a Obaid—have shared their powerful and urgent collection of diary entries from roughly October '23 to March '25. Voices of Resistance is a testament to memory, a refusal to be silenced, and a declaration that their history will be told by them. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the human cost of the ongoing genocide and the fierce will to survive.
Published by @commapress. All profits will be shared between the four authors. Get a copy, read their words, and support them
full review here
https://www.newarab.com/features/voic...
Published by @commapress. All profits will be shared between the four authors. Get a copy, read their words, and support them
full review here
https://www.newarab.com/features/voic...
November 5, 2025
"I smile bitterly, thinking how a single photo turned the whole world against the Vietnam War. Our tragedies, too, have filled the world's newspapers, websites, and social media platforms. But our slaughter hasn't stopped. It's as if the world's eyes have grown used to our suffering. And if our suffering no longer shocks anyone, what's the point of sharing it? What's the point of photos and facts if they don't change our reality?"
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews