The Eyes of Gaza by Plestia Alaqad

The Eyes of Gaza

A Diary of Resilience

Plestia Alaqad

Little, Brown and Company · Print & ebook · September 30, 2025

North American edition with an exclusive afterword and photographs INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER | BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER | SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BESTSELLER In early October 2023, Palestinian Plestia Alaqad was a recent university graduate dreaming of a career as a journalist.

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Who it’s for
A spare, urgent diary voice that makes small entries feel heavy with meaning.
Genres
Arab & Middle Eastern Lives, Israel & Palestine History, Lives in Journalism
Published
Little, Brown and Company, September 30, 2025

About this book

North American edition with an exclusive afterword and photographs INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER | BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER | SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BESTSELLER In early October 2023, Palestinian Plestia Alaqad was a recent university graduate dreaming of a career as a journalist.

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But by the end of November, her homeland was unrecognizable—and she was broadcasting videos of violence and destruction to millions online, known across the world as "The Eyes of Gaza." A series of diary extracts from the weeks following October 7, The Eyes of Gaza is a gutting, on-the-ground record of the turmoil and destruction endured by the men, women, and children of Palestine. As Alaqad flees from neighborhood to neighborhood, from hospital to hospital, she documents all she sees—the destruction of beloved homes, the waves of bombs, and most of all, the boundless bravery and generosity of her people—all the while trying to memorize the faces of those around her "so somebody will have known them before the end," wondering if, one day, her own journal will be discovered amidst the rubble. A document of the indomitable Palestinian spirit, told through the voice of one ordinary young woman, The Eyes of Gaza is a tribute to Alaqad's beloved Gaza, a paean to the courage and endurance of Palestine, and a manifesto of hope for its future.

Diary Pressure

A spare, urgent diary voice that makes small entries feel heavy with meaning.

Come here for

  • Diary-shaped immediacy
  • Edgy, reflective daily dip-in

Expect

  • Human rights lens
  • Middle East context, teen shelf

Where it sits

Arab & Middle Eastern Lives54%
Israel & Palestine History42%
Lives in Journalism27%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Arab & Middle Eastern Lives
  • Personal Memoirs
  • Israel & Palestine History
Authors
Plestia Alaqad
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
Published
September 30, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Arab & Middle Eastern Lives