Hekmat Al-Taweel (1922-2008) was a native Palestinian Christian from Gaza City whose narrative provides an unfamiliar perspective on Muslim–Christian relationships in Gaza, highlighting shared history, culture, customs, and traditions. In relating her life story, continuing education after marriage, volunteer work, activism, and aspirations, she invites readers to understand her experiences in a way that contradicts widespread Western orientalized stereotypes of Arab... [READ MORE]

Sahbaa Al-Barbari’s story provides a unique perspective on Palestinian experiences before and after the 1948 Nakba. Born and educated in Gaza, Al-Barbari was an activist in her community. When Israel occupied the Gaza Strip in 1967, Al-Barbari and her husband Mu’in Bseiso became refugees, stripped of their residency rights and forced to live in exile for the next three decades. While in exile, moving from Lebanon to Syria, Libya, Kuwait, Egypt, and finally Tuni... [READ MORE]

Palestinian refugees in Gaza have lived in camps for five generations, experiencing hardship and uncertainty. In the absence of official histories, oral narratives handed down from generation to generation bear witness to life in Palestine before and after the 1948 Nakba—the catastrophe of dispossession. These narratives maintain traditions, keep alive names of destroyed villages, and record stories of the fight for dignity and freedom. The Women’s Voices from ... [READ MORE]