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Plestia Alaqad

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Plestia Alaqad
بلستيا العقاد
Born (2001-12-10) 10 December 2001 (age 22)
Alma materEastern Mediterranean University
OccupationJournalist
Known forDocumenting the Gaza–Israel conflict on social media

Plestia Alaqad (Arabic: بلستيا العقاد; born 10 December 2001)[1] is a Palestinian journalist and poet from Gaza, currently based in Melbourne, Australia.

Early life

Growing up in Gaza,[2] Alaqad had a mostly happy childhood as her mother Rana would try to shield her from the "horrors that sometimes descended on the strip".[3] Alaqad attended the American International School.[4] She went on to study New Media and Journalism at Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus, graduating in 2022.[5]

Career and online presence

Alaqad previously worked as an HR professional at a marketing agency while she built a small Instagram following online during her free time.[6] She regularly conducted media training as well, while also doing freelance journalism related work.[7] Prior to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Alaqad's online content mainly consisted of travel content to locations such as Cyprus and Turkey.[8] According to her, she also documented her everyday life on Instagram to show her followers that there was more to Gaza than war and conflict.[7]

Alaqad, who was due to start a new job on 8 October 2023,[3] gained recognition online after she began posting video diaries documenting life in Gaza during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war to Instagram.[1][9][10] By November 3, Alaqad had accumulated 2.1 million followers on Instagram;[9] by November 22, she had nearly 4 million.[11] Alaqad's videos have been shared by the ABC,[12] BBC,[13] Business Today,[14] The Independent,[15] The New York Times,[16] PBS NewsHour,[17] and The Washington Post.[18] She was also interviewed by the GB News Breakfast Show about conditions in Gaza.[14]

In her videos, Alaqad has expressed that, in light of the war, she understands her late grandfather's emotions surrounding his experiences during the Nakba, the mass flight and expulsion of Palestinians during the 1948 Palestine War.[19]

On 22 November 2023, Alaqad and her family fled to Egypt via the Rafah Border Crossing[11] and then, a few days later, to Melbourne, Australia,[20] having secured visas via her uncle.[3] In a video, Alaqad explained that although the choice to leave Gaza was difficult, she feared her reporting was putting her family in danger.[11] Alaqad has also touched upon the at times overwhelming feeling that she would have recording her videos as so many people were watching and relying on her to provide updates and information.[21]

Alaqad had written poetry in a diary, which she performed as a featured act at the 2024 Bankstown Poetry Slam in Sydney.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Gebeily, Maya; Lubowicka, Anna Magdalena (2023-10-11). "Palestinians in Gaza say Israeli bombardment feels like new 'Nakba'". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  2. ^ "Inside Gaza: Palestinian journalist, 22, says 'it's massacre, complete genocide'". ITV News. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Sieff, Kevin (28 December 2023). "An aspiring journalist documented Gaza's beauty, then its destruction". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 January 2024.(subscription required)
  4. ^ Alizee Ali Khan (3 December 2023). "Plestia Alaqad: A Gaza Journalist's Inspiring Story". Medium. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  5. ^ Leake, Matthew (20 December 2023). "Gazan journalist Plestia Alaqad on covering the war on Instagram: "I want the world to see us as humans"". Reuters Institute. University of Oxford. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  6. ^ Khanwala, Sugra. "How Gaza war changed this Palestinian content creator's life". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  7. ^ a b Michaelson, Ruth (2023-12-12). "'I'm not just covering the news – I'm living it': Gaza's citizen journalists chronicling life in war". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  8. ^ "5 Doctors and Journalists Playing Vital Roles in Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis". Vogue Arabia. 2023-10-30. Archived from the original on 2023-11-12. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  9. ^ a b Abbruzzese, Jason; Ingram, David; Yasmine, Salam (2023-11-03). "On Instagram, Palestinian journalists and digital creators documenting Gaza strikes see surge in followers". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  10. ^ Price, Mikayla (2023-11-04). "Pressure for cease-fire mounts; expert describes suffering Gaza". CBS Chicago. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  11. ^ a b c Woodward, Alex (2023-11-22). "Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad flees Gaza: 'I hope this nightmare ends'". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  12. ^ "'We can't breathe,' Gaza resident shows life under bombardment". www.abc.net.au. 2023-10-10. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  13. ^ "Hiding at home, blinded and choked by dust - life in Gaza". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  14. ^ a b Madhukalya, Anwesha (2023-10-12). "Israel-Hamas war: Inside war-torn Gaza with a brave Instagram journalist". Business Today. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  15. ^ Browning, Oliver (10 October 2023). "Young woman in Gaza films herself sheltering as bombs drop outside window". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  16. ^ El-Naggar, Mona; Clarke, Chevaz; Boyer, Mark (2023-10-13). "Video: Two Young Women Capture Life Under Siege Inside Gaza". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  17. ^ "Fears of bigger war grow as Israel-Hamas fighting continues after surprise attack". PBS NewsHour. 2023-10-10. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  18. ^ Wagner, Laura (16 October 2023). "It's becoming impossible to report from Gaza". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  19. ^ "'No place safe': a Gaza journalist's life under siege". Yahoo News. 2023-10-11. Archived from the original on 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  20. ^ Michaelson, Ruth (12 December 2023). "'I'm not just covering the news – I'm living it': Gaza's citizen journalists chronicling life in war". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  21. ^ Kaur, Harmeet (2024-01-19). "Violence in Gaza turned these everyday Palestinians into chroniclers of war". CNN. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  22. ^ Dumas, Daisy (2024-02-12). "Poetry forged in war: Palestinian exile and social media sensation Plestia Alaqad leaves Sydney audience in tears". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
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