Review: The Eyes of Gaza by Plestia Alaqad

Imagine being twenty-one years old, a recent university graduate and, at a time when a long and successful career should be ahead of you, you instead wake up every day knowing that at any moment you could lose absolutely everything--your home, your family and your life in an instant--based purely on where you are born and live. Imagine being there, reporting on it as it happens to other people and families, while you find yourself living in a refugee camp. That was the reality for Plestia Alaqad. Born and raised in Gaza, she was used to bombings and the endless risk. However, after October 7 2023 she, her family and everyone they knew found themselves caught up in a brutal, bloody and relentless campaign to destroy their homeland, with many thousands of people killed and displaced and the scale of which almost defies comprehension. 

This is the story of a young woman caught up in a situation that is no way of her making, but that she and many others pay a huge price for based on politics, sheer brutality and someone else's interpretation of religion. I found it incredibly insightful to read about it from the perspective of someone who was actually there and kept a diary of events, and was fortunate enough to be able to eventually leave. The author witnessed some truly frightening events and their aftermath which she records with maturity and restraint.

The Eyes of Gaza does not make for easy reading, however it is incredibly insightful and an important reminder of the ordinary people who often pay the ultimate price for the luxury of other people's politics and desire for power. 

Recommended.

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