we are not numbers

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

Hamza N. Ibrahim

    Hamza N. Ibrahim, a 2023 graduate from Al-Azhar University as an English teacher, has also finished 10 levels at the Cambridge Language Center. He is currently pursuing his dream of being a journalist.

    He has a passion for sports in general and reading in particular. He likes to write and aspires to be a playwright. He enjoys hiking, practicing photography, and talking to people from abroad. He loves learning and traveling to new places.

    “I hope that the sound of my stories that I share through WANN will spread throughout the entire world, because I want the world to be aware of my Palestinian identity.”

    Hamza Ibrahim.

    my work

    The destruction of my university and everything around it strikes a blow against Gaza’s future and my own.
    I survived the Nuseirat massacre, but the echoes of that pain reverberate within me.
    In his search for his family amidst the rubble, a man found solace in the kindness of those who aided him.
    The scent of bread baking, the sounds of marketplace vendors, family celebrations — the war has taken them all away.
    Palestinians in Gaza who lost their homes and loved ones strove to celebrate Eid al-Fitr anyway.
    In the midst of war, the holy month creates a time of heightened spiritual connection and a lifeline of hope.
    Daily searches for food and water, bombings in the night, forced relocation. To survive, we hold onto hope.
    A typical day in Gaza: No electricity, no internet, scant water or bread—and a surviving spirit.
    A recent graduate of Islamic University in Gaza grieves the destruction of its academic buildings by Israel.
    Where is the world, where is international law?
    “We make war so that we may live in peace,” said Aristotle. Yet from Gaza to Jenin, war does not always lead to peace.