we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

Fatima Elzahraa Marwan Shaat

    Fatima Elzahraa Marwan Shaat describes herself as “a Palestinian girl from Gaza who is trying to dream, speak, survive, and be herself.”

    She is an English law student at Al-Azhar University.

    She is an alumna of the Abraham Lincoln Scholarship Programme at Amideast. She is also part of the Youth Diplomacy Programme in Gaza, strongly believing in the role of women and their empowerment in Palestinian society. She sees it as crucial for women to have a role in leading social change.

    Fatima is passionate about issues concerning children and women, believing that every individual must know their rights to be in a position to demand them; hence, she works on raising awareness. She tries to soothe her soul through writing, reading, and embroidery (a skill her mother taught her). She loves Gaza, its sea, and its people, and she believes that Gaza will always be her compass and direction and it will always be home. She does not want her life to end without being a part of helping, speaking, and writing for her homeland.

    Current as of May 2024

    Young woman.

    my work

    In one Israeli airstrike, Abu Fadi lost ‘everything worth living for.’
    Will our hopes ever be answered and our wounds heal, allowing Gazans to embrace life again with open hearts?
    We welcomed in the new year, and it was really good — until Oct. 7. Will 2024 continue the misery?
    I was very young when I learned that, in my home in Gaza, bombs also fall from the sky.