Alaa Arafat graduated from the Faculty of Education at the Islamic University of Gaza. She specialized in teaching English. Before the war began on October 7, 2023, Alaa was teaching English to Palestinian students in the first through twelfth grades.

Alaa loves working with students to help them express their thoughts and feelings and encouraging the next generation of Palestinian writers and thinkers. To Alaa, teaching is a way to hold students’ hands and guide them to a better future. Alaa longs to be able to teach her students again. Now, she uses her writing to educate the world about the suffering inflicted on Gaza.