Bisan Owda, a Gazan voice
Every morning of the last three months, I have opened Instagram with anxious longing to hear the words, “Hey everyone, this is Bisan from Gaza, and I am still alive.”
Bisan Owda, 25, is a Palestinian woman, born and raised in Gaza whose life, like the lives of all Palestinians in Gaza, has changed inconceivably since the 7th of October 2023.
Over 100 days ago now, Israel launched their relentless bombardment of Gaza and its people, the documentation and illumination of which has been fulfilled solely (due to Israel’s blockade making it impossible for foreign journalists to enter) by the brave Palestinian journalists on the ground, including 25-year-old Bisan.
With 1 out of every 100 civilians in gaza having now been killed and a further 1 out of every 10 journalists in Gaza having been killed since October 7th, hearing Bisan’s words “and I am still alive” has become an integral part of my daily ritual, as it has of millions of others.
Bisan shares daily live reports from the ground via Instagram to her 3.8 million followers, showing the horrors that Gazans face daily, sharing their stories and putting names to the faces whom Israel and its supporters would rather keep nameless. She and her colleagues play a vital role in the humanisation of Palestinians and the exposition of their struggles, making it harder for those in the western world, living under white supremacist governments to ignore.
Bisan’s Instagram bio reads, “Filmmaker, Traveler and a dreamer” she has spent her career as a community and youth activist, women’s rights advocate and digital content creator but has since become a brave, resilient and integral journalist.
On October 12th she shared that the office where she created her work and content, which she described as “her second home” had been destroyed in an Israeli air strike, saying “I know it’s not a suitable time to talk about places and homes because people are losing their lives, People are being killed” knowing that this material loss would not compare to what she and millions of others were yet to endure.
90 days later, on January 10th, she shared these shattering words,
She is a “hakawatieh”, a storyteller, and before the war, she had created a mini-series, telling the stories of Gaza’s people, its history, and its beautiful, rich culture. She was a storyteller by nature, but now, by necessity.
In December she began reposting her mini-series, but prefaced each episode with a title reading, “The Israeli army destroyed everything you will see later”. In these episodes we see Bisan in her element, with a radiant smile across her kind face as she teaches us and tells us stories of humanity and joy, not of bloodshed and fear.
Scroll past these reposts, and you see today’s Bisan, she is tired, she is heartbroken, but she persists. She tells the stories of the Gazans around her, of the children and their wishes for the new year; “I wish for the war to end and for Palestine to be freed” one child pleads.
Every day, I pray to see that Bisan is still alive, she is a beacon of light and hope in such a horrific time, her bravery, resilience and courage has inspired so many, including myself. She is a hero who, like all Palestinians, deserves to live in peace.
#CEASEFIRENOW #FREEPALESTINE
Bisan’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wizard_bisan1?igsh=dzdqeWo0emxtbTlq
Donate via Medical Aid for Palestinians: https://www.instagram.com/medicalaidpal?igsh=MW1wa3EwZXdxaDRpMQ==
Amazing piece!!