Told through diary entries written in the wake of October 7, this firsthand account follows the 21-year-old writer as she chronicles daily life amid airstrikes in Gaza, bearing witness to devastation, resilience, and the enduring humanity of a people under siege. Original.
North American edition with an exclusive afterword and photographs
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 unrecognizableand 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 headlines: 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 Palestiniansbut 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 seesthe destruction of beloved homes, the waves of bombs, and most of all, the boundless bravery and generosity of her peopleall 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.
