we are not numbers

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

A WANN Cohort

WANN writers & mentors use their words to defend Palestine

WANN mentors and writers are raising awareness of the Palestinian perspective in multiple media outlets.
A WANN Cohort
The 18th and most recent cohort of We Are Not Numbers. Photo: Yousef Dawas

In the midst of Israel’s war on Palestine, WANN mentors and writers are raising awareness of the Palestinian perspective in multiple media outlets. They are providing context demonstrating that Gazans, and all Palestinians, are not numbers. This media report will be updated regularly. Please also check out co-published stories to see additional features by WANN writers.

Note: Some of these articles may be behind paywalls.

 

Oct. 19

Medics in Northern Gaza Won’t Leave — Despite Siege and Bombs

Mohammed Rafik Mhawish (WANN writer) (WANN writer)

Mohammed R Mhawish

Oct. 18

Determined to graduate despite the horror

Aya Al-Hattab (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Oct. 16

Shaaban Al-Dalou, Burned Alive in Gaza, Would Have Been 20 Today

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Drop Site

 

The only refuge I could offer

Anonymous (WANN writer)

Jewish Currents

 

Breaking news and analysis on day 376 of Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Flood 

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer) featured in segment beginning 9:13 at and interviewed beginning at 21:51

Electronic Intifada

 

Oct. 14

Held captive by the Israeli army

Donya Ahmad Abu Sitta

Electronic Intifada

 

Oct. 11

One man on his grief for Gaza – podcast

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewed

The Guardian

 

Refaat Alareer Was My Friend. I Will Miss Him Forever

Mohammed Rafik Mhawish (WANN writer)

Mohammed R Mhawish (personal website)

 

Alive in Gaza

Zeina Azzam (WANN mentor) writes about Ahmed Dremly (WANN writer)

Vox Populi

 

Gaza childhood means learning to survive

Esraa Abo Qamar (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

“Endless trauma” as Israel bombs another school

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Oct. 10

‘Bodies left in the streets’: Northern Gaza residents under Israeli siege

Ahmed Dremly  (WANN writer) with Mohammed al-Hajjar and Katherine Hearst

Middle East Eye

 

“They Identified Themselves!” Israeli Forces Proudly Exhibit Their War Crimes

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewing Richard Sanders

Palestine Deep Dive

 

‘Dead bodies everywhere’ in Jabalia camp as Israel besieges northern Gaza

Mahmoud Mushtaha (WANN writer) and  Ibrahim Mohammad

+972

 

Oct. 9

Orders from the sky

Malak Hijazi (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

I’m still reporting on Gaza. But the blood on our streets is no closer to drying

Mohammed Rafik Mhawish (WANN writer)

+972

 

Oct. 8

‘Survivor’s guilt is overwhelming’: the grief of losing 21 relatives in one airstrike in Gaza

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) profiled

The Guardian

 

Oct. 7

Israel Bombs Mosque in Deir al-Balah, Gaza’s Last Standing City

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Drop Site

  

Después de un año de genocidio, espero poder volver a ser el humano que fui

(“After a year of genocide, I hope I can return to being the human I was”)

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

El Salto

 

One year of genocide and our souls remain beautiful

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

A Palestinian Nurse Shares Painful Memories from Gaza Amid the War

Faress Arafat (WANN writer)

Rolling Stone

 

‘I Have Watched My People Suffer in Ways That Would Shock the World’

Mohammed R Mhawish (WANN writer)

The Nation

 

I survived the war in Gaza, but even in exile, I remain part of its tragic reality

Mohammed Rafik Mhawish (WANN writer)

Mohammed R Mhawish

 

Stranded in Egypt, haunted by Gaza: Will I ever get to go home again?

Mariam Al Khateeb (WANN writer)

TRT World

 

Oct. 3

FIFA Meeting to Discuss Possible Sanctions Against the Israel Football Association

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer) interviewed

Al Jazeera

 

Oct. 2

Basement blindness and a foreboding realized

Donya Ahmad Abu Sitta (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Sept. 26

Sisters cling to memories of 36 killed in Israeli massacre

Dana Besaiso

Electronic Intifada

 

Will Israel ever be held to account for its actions in Gaza? | Inside Story

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewed starting at 6:23

Aljazeera

 

Sept. 25

Yousef Aljamal talks about Refaat Alareer’s legacy and the forthcoming book, “If I Must Die: Poetry and Prose”

Youself Aljamal (WANN writer) interviewed (beginning at 19:30)

Electronic Intifada

 

Sept. 24

Genocide will not stop me graduating

Ohood Nasser (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Sept. 23

Three Gaza women deal with famine, fear and displacement

Yasmin Abusayma (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Sept. 20

Could Israel be preparing for an ‘all-out war’ in Lebanon during its Gaza assault?

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder)

TRT World Now

 

Sept. 19

Medical Apartheid webinar

Alice Rothchild (WANN mentor liaison) on panel

American Friends Service Committee

 

Sept. 18

Displaced Gazans taking refuge in stadium under rains

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Press TV

 

Sept. 16

Scholasticide being used as weapon of mass destruction in Gaza

Walaa Sabah (director of operations)

China Daily

 

Sept. 14

A love letter to Gaza: reflections from exile

Yasmin Abysayma (WANN writer)

Mondoweiss

 

Sept. 12

“It’s unbearable terror”

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Sept. 10

Bullets rained down from drones and helicopters

Electronic Intifada

Khaled El-Hissy (WANN writer)

 

Sobrevivir al genocidio en Gaza (Surviving the Genocide in Gaza)

Mahmoud Mustafa (WANN assistant manager)

Ágora ctxt

 

How do Palestinians in Gaza resist Israel’s attacks on education?

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewed (discusses WANN at 21:06)

Aljazeera

 

Bullets rained down from drones and helicopters

Khaled El-Hissy (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Sept. 9

Laughs then bombs on the last day of Eid

Farah Samer Zaina

Electronic Intifada (WANN writer)

 

“Doctor, Am I In Heaven?” Treating Gaza’s Wounded Under Israeli Genocide | Dr Mohammed Ashraf

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewing Dr. Mohammed Ashraf

Palestine Deep Dive

 

Sept. 6

2024 Arab American Book Award Winner

Alice Rothchild (WANN mentor liaison), winner in Young Adult category for Old Enough to Know

Arab American Book Award Winners

 

Sept. 3

Displaced in Gaza: Dispatches

Yousef Aljamal (WANN writer)

In These Times

 

Sept. 2

As a Gaza genocide survivor, I fear another Nakba in West Bank

Mohammed Rafik Mhawish (WANN writer)

The New Arab

 

Sept. 1

Exposing Israel’s Genocide to the World: “It’s Not Work, It’s A Duty”

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewing Motaz Azaiza

Palestine Deep Dive

 

Aug. 29

With campus destroyed, IUG resumes online classes

Huda Skaik  (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Aug. 26

Dreams and families destroyed

Kahled El-Hissy (WANN writer) and Razan Abu Salem

Electronic Intifada

 

Aug. 22

“The sniper was shooting him for fun”

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Aug. 18

We’re thankful for every day we wake up in Gaza, with Abubaker Abed

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer) interviewed

Electronic Intifada

 

Aug.17

Meet Issam Al-Hassanat, Liverpool’s oldest fan in Gaza Strip

X

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer) conducting video interview

 

Aug. 16

Our real life ended 300 days ago

Nowar Diab (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

Aug. 15

Gaza Sets Up Health Clinics to Treat Patients in a Health Crisis

Faress Arafat (WANN writer)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

 

Aug. 14

Israel Killed My Grandma

Palestine Deep Dive

Mariam Al Khateeb (WANN writer) describing her relatives, colleagues, and friends killed, including several WANNers

 

Aug. 12

In Gaza, education is resistance

Eman Alhaj Ali (WANN writer)

Aljazeera

 

Aug. 10

Amid Genocide: The Existential Fight for the Human Soul

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewing Roger Waters and Matt Kennard

Palestine Deep Dive

 

Aug. 8

“There is a policy!” Francesca Albanese EXPOSES Israel’s Systematic Torture of Palestinian Prisoners

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewing Francesca Albanese

Palestine Deep Dive

 

Aug. 7

In memory of journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul, Gaza City’s voice to the world

Mohammed Rafik Mhawish (WANN writer)

+972

 

Aug. 6

UK Government Must be CLEARER: Stop Arming Israel Now!

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewing Tayab Ali

Palestine Deep Dive

 

“The WORST EVER Man Made Humanitarian Disaster!” Gaza Health Crisis EXPOSED 

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewing Mustafa Barghouti

Palestine Deep Dive

 

‘We’ve lost everything, for what?’: Gazan anger at Hamas grows as war drags on

Mahmoud Mushtaha (WANN assistant manager)

+972

 

Aug. 2

From Words to Action: The Power of Resilience and Resistance in Gaza’s Stories

Exhibit featuring works by We Are Not Numbers profiled

Emerging Voices

 

Children traumatized by 10 months of genocide

Kahled El-Hissy (WANN writer) with Razan Abu Salem

Electronic Intifada

 

Aug. 1

Pollution provides breeding ground for diseases in Gaza

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer) and Khuloud Rabah Sulaiman

Electronic Intifada

 

July 29

Vermonters Read for Gaza

Yousef El-Mobayed (WANN writer) essay featured

Southern Vermont for Palestine

 

July 28

A massacre beside my home

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

July 26

A summer of fear

Eman Alhaj Ali (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

‘Western Media Coverage KILLS Palestinians. They Are Complicit in Israel’s Genocide’

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewed

Going Underground

 

July 24

For many Gazans, China’s unity deal between Palestinian factions is yet another disappointment

Mahmoud Mushtaha (WANN assistant manager)

The Globe and Mail

 

Haunted by War

Dana Besaiso (WANN writer)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

 

July 22

An Angel Whose Wings Were Clipped: Remembering Hind Al-Nuwairi

Faress Arafat (WANN writer)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

 

July 21

Interview with Author and Activist Alice Rothchild (Part 1)

Alice Rothchild (WANN mentor liaison) interviewed

Ramsey Hanhan on Medium

 

“All eyes are fixed on Rafah’s streets”

Ibrahim Yaghi (WANN writer) reading his poem

Al Jazeera Media View

 

Gaza: Glastonbury’s Elephant in the Room?

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) speaking in feature on Glasbontury Festival

Palestine Deep Dive

 

July 14

Will there be an end to Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza?

Ibrahim Yaghi (WANN writer) interviewed

Al Jazeera English

 

July 13

Permanent Ceasefire is the Cure to Our Collective Trauma

Mariam Mohammed Al Khateeb (WANN writer)

Washington Report On Middle East Affairs

 

Ahmad Alnaouq: “Els palestins sabem que si marxem de Gaza no hi podrem tornar mia”

(“Palestinians know that if we leave Gaza we will never be able to return”)

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN cofounder) interviewed

l’Ara

 

July 12

Haunted by War 

Dana Basaiso (WANN writer)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

 

July 11

The plight of Gaza’s amputees

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

July 10

How a Family, Amid Israeli Oppression, Survived the Trek From Gaza City to Rafah

Haya Ismail (WANN writer)

New Lines Magazine

 

July 7

Gazan football journalist & commentator Abubaker Abed talks about football in Gaza on Bein Sports

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer) interviewed

Bein Sports

 

July 3

Breaking news and analysis on day 271 of Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Flood

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer) interviewed

Electronic Intifada

 

Where is Palestine in Children’s Literature and Why Should We Care?

Alice Rothchild (WANN mentor liaison)

Medium

 

Medical training at a time of massive shock

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

July 1

“I Heard a Machine Gun Being Loaded”: A Harrowing …Escape from Gaza

Mohammed Rafik Mhawish (WANN writer)

The Nation

 

June 28

A Palestinian-American Captures War, Loss and Hope in Poetry

Zeina Azzam (WANN mentor) profiled

Virginia Center for Investigatory Journalism

 

Zeina Azzam’s “Hedge against Hardship”: A Conversation with the Poet Laureate of Alexandria, Virginia

Zeina Azzam (WANN mentor) interviewed

American Book Review (Spring 2024 issue)

 

A Small Farm in Gaza and the Woman Who Tends It

Samah A. Abuishaiba (WANN writer)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

 

June 27

Protecting Their Children: Gaza Mothers Struggle to Do the Impossible

Shahd Safi (WANN writer)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

 

June 26

Looking Beyond the Headlines

Catherine Baker (WANN senior editor)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

 

June 21

Fragments of Gaza: My journey of memory and loss

Shahd Safi (WANN writer)

Aljazeera

 

June 20

Aid workers try to treat trauma under worst possible conditions

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

June 19

Just Like That: Life and Death in Gaza (Essay excerpted from Deluge: Gaza and Israel from Crisis to Cataclysm)

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder)

DAWN

 

Generational Suffering

Pam Kirby (WANN mentor)

The Washington Post (letter to editor; fifth letter on the page)

 

June 18

How Many More Massacres Must We Palestinians Endure Here in Gaza?

Haya Ismail (WANN writer)

Common Dreams

 

June 17

Craving the simple pleasures of Eid

Eman Alhaj Ali (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

June 14

Are we going to die this time?”

Khaled El-Hissy (WANN writer) with Hamza Salha

Electronic Intifada

 

June 12

Israel: The World’s Biggest LIAR

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewing Jennine Khalik

Palestine Deep Dive

 

June 10

Panic in Central Gaza

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

June 8

Safe in Egypt, burdened by trauma

Rania Abu Taima (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

June 7

“I am terrified most of the time”

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

June 6

I survived nine days under Israeli siege

Huda Skaik (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

June 5

Immortal Sea, Your Sea (poem)

Zeina Azzam (WANN mentor)

Prairie Schooner

 

June 4

The voice of Gaza as issued by Maryam Al-Khatib

Mariam Al Khateeb (WANN writer) profiled

Al-Rayiysia (in Arabic)

 

June 3

Ceasefire Plan

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewed

Sky News

 

The World Cup and Gaza—A Lesson in Humanity

Younes Jalal Elhallaq (WANN writer)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

 

Public Void

Dima Shamaly (WANN writer)

Exulansis Magazine

 

June 1

Dilemmas Medical Teams Face in Gaza

Faress Arafat (WANN writer)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

 

May 31

Front Line Defenders Award Ceremony

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) receiving the award for WANN (Begins at 1:01:30)

Front Line Defenders (event in Dublin, Ireland)

 

Two Poems: A Desperate Bird and Whispers of Love

Haya Abu Nasser (WANN writer)

Massachusetts Review

 

May 29

Love despite war

Mariam Al Khateeb (WANN writer) profiled in article on Ici Gaza evening (Egypt)

ahraminfo

 

Raging Waves Within

Mariam Al Khateeb (WANN writer)

Exulansis Magazine

 

Dismantling Zionism: Frontline on the Student Encampments with Palestinian Youth Movement

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewing Yasmin and Yara

Palestine Deep Dive

 

May 27

Can Palestinians imagine a future with Israelis after this war?

Mahmoud Mushtaha (WANN social media coordinator)

+972

 

“I miss you, my brother” 

Mahmoud Alyazhi (WANN writer) reading from a video he created; see also essay published at WANN

Palestine Festival for Literature

 

A scene of pure horror

Abubaker Abed (WANN writer)

Electronic Intifada

 

May 26

Ahmed Alnaouq on the war in Palestine, family and the power…

Ahmed Alnaouq (WANN co-founder) interviewed

Changes with Annie Macmanus (podcast)

 

May 24

Health and Human Rights Consequences of the War on Gaza

Alice Rothchild (WANN mentor liaison)

JVP Boston

 

Combatting Israel’s Water Apartheid

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