For Gaza, Refaat Alareer Was More Than a Writer

A young journalist in Gaza describes the enduring legacy of a Palestinian intellectual who dedicated his life to preserving and sharing his people’s story.

Refaat Alareer in 2014.

By Ohood Nassar

In one of the most striking stories reflecting the targeting of the Palestinian people, their voice, and their narrative, the name of Dr. Refaat Alareer stands out. He was among the most prominent Palestinian intellectuals and academics who carried the cause of his people to the world through literature, media engagement, and academic work. Alareer was not merely a university professor, poet, and writer; he was also a witness to the suffering of Gaza and a steadfast defender of Palestinians’ right to tell their own story. He remained committed to that mission until he was killed during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in December 2023.

Refaat Alareer was a writer, poet, translator, and professor at the Islamic University of Gaza. Throughout his career, he became known for his intellectual and cultural contributions, as well as for his dedication to nurturing a new generation of Palestinian writers capable of conveying their experiences to the world in English. In addition to his academic work, he maintained a strong media presence, publishing articles and participating in international interviews and discussions that highlighted the realities of life in Gaza. Through these platforms, he consistently spoke about the impact of the blockade, military assaults, and the daily challenges faced by Palestinians living in the Strip.

The final chapter of Alareer’s life unfolded during the Israeli war on Gaza that began in October 2023. On December 6, two months after the attack on the Strip began, an Israeli airstrike targeted the house where he had taken shelter at his sister’s home in the Al-Daraj neighbourhood, east of Gaza City. The strike killed Alareer, his sister, and several members of her family. News of his death quickly spread, provoking widespread grief and reactions from academic, cultural, and media circles both within Palestine and around the world.

Sense of Responsibility

According to the account of a close friend, Alareer had received repeated threats during the war because of his media and digital activism. Throughout the conflict, he used social media platforms to report on the bombardment and destruction taking place across Gaza, documenting the suffering of civilians and drawing attention to what they were enduring. The same source stated that only hours before he was killed, Alareer received a phone call informing him that he was under surveillance and that his location was known.

At the time, Alareer and his family had been displaced and were staying in one of the schools operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). However, fearing that any attack directed at him could place thousands of displaced civilians sheltering in the school at risk, he made the decision to leave and move to his sister’s house instead. The decision reflected both his sense of responsibility and his concern for the safety of others, even while facing immense personal danger.

Yet the tragedy that claimed Alareer’s life was not the first profound loss he had experienced. During the 2014 war on Gaza, he lost many members of his family when the family home in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood was bombed. The attack killed more than thirty relatives from both his family and his wife’s family, making it one of the most painful episodes of his life. Despite such devastating personal losses, Alareer continued to devote himself to education, writing, and public engagement.

Throughout the years, he remained committed to his intellectual and cultural work. Although his academic achievements and expertise could have enabled him to build a career at prestigious universities and institutions abroad, he chose to remain in Gaza. He believed that his place was among his people and his students, and that his mission was inseparable from the community in which he lived. His friend, journalist Asem Al-Nabeh, described him as a “genius” whom he had known since childhood, emphasising that Alareer consciously chose to stay in Gaza despite having opportunities elsewhere.

Influence Beyond Death

Alareer’s dedication to education was evident throughout his academic career. He devoted special attention to mentoring students and helping talented young Palestinians develop their skills in creative writing, storytelling, poetry, and translation. He understood that telling Palestinian stories was not only a literary endeavour but also a means of preserving identity and ensuring that Palestinian voices could reach international audiences. For this reason, he became one of the contributors to the founding of We Are Not Numbers, a project designed to empower Palestinian youth to share their stories and human experiences with the world in multiple languages.

Even amid the devastation of war, Alareer continued to think about the future. According to Al-Nabeh, he often spoke about projects he hoped to pursue if he survived. Among these was a literary initiative dedicated to documenting Palestinian experiences during the war and transforming personal testimonies into books and novels. He envisioned these works as a way of preserving collective memory and ensuring that future generations would have access to first-hand accounts of what Palestinians had endured.

Although Refaat Alareer is gone, his influence did not end with his death. He became a symbol of the intellectual who remained committed to his people until his final moments and a voice determined to carry the truth from beneath the rubble to the wider world. His life embodied a belief in the power of words, education, and storytelling as tools of resistance and remembrance. While his body was buried under bombardment, his words remain as testimony that the Palestinian narrative cannot be silenced, and that although people may pass away, their impact endures in memory, history, and human conscience.

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Ohood Nassar is a journalist and teacher from Gaza. She has written for We Are Not Numbers, New Arab, Al Jazeera, Institute for Palestine Studies, Electronic Intifada, and Prism.