Famous Gaza journalist Plestia Alaqad, has spoken publicly in Australia for the first time since she fled the war-torn territory.
Known worldwide for her coverage of the effects of Israel’s bombardment on the Palestinian people in Gaza, the 22-year-old received a standing ovation at Sydney Town Hall as she took to the stage for Bankstown Poetry Slam’s grand final on Monday night.
“Only in Gaza, you sleep counting rockets rather than stars,” Alaqad said, reciting her poem Only in Gaza.
“In Gaza you sleep in your house and you wake up under the rubble… In Gaza, you have family and friends. The next day you are on your own.”
“Only in Gaza, people celebrate birthdays while bombs echo in the background… Only in Gaza, despite the pain, people remain, not only survivors but warriors.”
Reading her diary from when she was in Gaza, Alaqad said: “I remember saying to my colleagues two weeks ago that we would soon be eating leaves, but now it doesn’t feel like a joke any more.”
“I’ll never get used to blood. I’ll never get used to seeing my people getting killed.”
“I’ll never get used to seeing my people walking in the streets with bags filled with anything they could take from what’s left of their homes. And people walking with pillows in the streets, not knowing where they will go or where will they sleep,” she said, reading from her old entry.
“I can’t find any words to describe how I’m feeling or what’s happening. What more can I say or show?”
Raised in Gaza City, Alaqad studied New Media and Journalism at Eastern Mediterranean University. Following the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel and the Israeli government’s response, Plestia began sharing videos and photos online to show the world an inside view of current events in Gaza.
Dressed in a press vest and helmet, Alaqad documented raw and confronting footage of the suffering Palestinian people. Since then, she’s racked up nearly five million followers on Instagram.
In November, Alaqad and her family moved to Melbourne through sponsorship from her uncle. The Federal Government has granted them temporary visas.
Co-founder of the Bankstown Poetry Slam Sara Mansour told SBS it was an “honour” to host Alaqad at Sydney’s event.
“As long as they are not hateful or prejudiced or bigoted or racist or Islamophobic, transphobic, antisemitic, or any of those things, then diverse perspectives deserve to be heard,” said Mansour.