Believe Me, We Are A Beautiful People

First, I apologize to my community for feeling the need to explain these simple truths about us.

We, the people of Gaza — crushed by war, worn down by Israel’s siege, and plagued by hunger — have become a tragic subject for media consumption, achieving high interactions and views. I am sorry that the world has forced us to scream and insist that we are ordinary humans, just like anyone else outside the prison of Gaza. I truly am sorry.

The Israeli media machine has played a highly deceptive and strategic role, along with both legacy Western media and social media in promoting inaccurate stereotypes about Gaza and its people. In the rush for headlines and breaking news, there has been either intentional or unintentional stereotyping that portrays Gazans in a distorted, overly narrow way.

I have always hated having to explain the basics to the world — facts that should be self-evident, like the simple truth that we are like any other people on Earth. We are not defined by the narrow frame the media has placed us in. Let me share just a few of these fundamentals:

First: Our Blood Is Not Cheap

The constant flood of images — bloody corpses, dismembered bodies, massacres — may have initially evoked sympathy, but over time, they’ve become routine for viewers. Sympathy has turned into indifference, and, in some cases, some people care more about the death of a single Israeli than the killing of 200 Palestinians in Gaza in a single day. The truth is, our blood is not cheap. And our sacrifices are not in vain. Those horrific scenes should inspire real action to stop the massacre, instead of causing people to become numb.

Second: We Are Beautiful

Palestinians in Gaza are beautiful people. We care deeply about our appearance and elegance. Gaza’s women and girls have a unique beauty that the media fails to show. While the biased Western media often highlights the appearances of Ukrainian, Israeli, or even Lebanese women, Gazan women are rarely depicted in a positive light. Instead, they are depicted only in moments of devastation — screaming, running through the streets in bloodstained home clothes, covered in dust and rubble as they flee the bombings. While this is part of our current reality, it is not the whole truth. The media ignores the moments when Palestinian women in Gaza appear graceful or seen celebrating achievements in work or education. They ignore our resilient women, further reinforcing harmful stereotypes about us.

Perhaps the harsh circumstances force them to forgo self-care — there’s little time to put on makeup before fleeing Israel’s bombs, to dress elegantly while living in a cold tent, or even to access basic feminine hygiene necessities or use the bathroom without struggling. 

I find Palestinians incredibly beautiful, and I’m baffled by the media’s portrayal of us. Too often, it captures us in moments of exhaustion, grief, or despair, violating our privacy. The bitter truth is that we are as simply beautiful as anyone else in the world, but for that beauty to shine, the war, bombings, sorrow, and loss must come to an end.

Third: We Are Diverse and Have Political Differences

Despite being one of the smallest areas in the world, Gaza is diverse in its cultural and social fabric, religious practices, clothing styles, and even local dialects. Gaza is home to Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and a wide variation in levels of religiosity among Muslims. Yet, the media has often portrayed us as homogeneous, a stereotype that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Furthermore, like any other population, Palestinians in Gaza hold a wide range of political opinions and views. I’m often surprised by how the media paints us as politically uniform or implies that we lack political perspectives altogether. The reality is that even within small families, siblings often hold vastly different views and ideas about political issues and solutions.

Fourth: Not All of Us Are Poor and Our Children Are Not Homeless

Despite decades of poverty and high unemployment in Gaza — and the immense need for aid during this war — the stereotype that Palestinians in Gaza are poor and beggars has become a painful label. This stereotype is so pervasive that I sometimes hesitate to reach out to friends around the world, fearing that they’ll assume I’m asking for financial help. Yes, donations and aid are crucial, and many people need help in one way or another. But this support should not perpetuate the negative stereotype of Palestinians in Gaza as helpless beggars. The truth is, we value hard work and strive to earn a living through our own efforts.

This is not a call to stop helping: it’s a call to continue supporting us in a way that’s fair and free of harmful stereotypes.

The media frequently shows images of our children in ragged clothes playing near garbage heaps, with unkempt hair and bare feet. While these images reflect part of our reality, they don’t tell the whole story. Here are those who are missing from the global narrative: the children whose parents — if they haven’t been killed during the genocide — work tirelessly to provide them with decent meals, clean clothes, and proper education. I know the media captures real suffering, but it overlooks the determination of parents who fight to send their kids to school, even if that school is a tent.

Fifth: We Love Our Families

We love our families and children deeply, just like parents everywhere in the world. We feel pain when they are hurt, bullied, or in need, and we do everything we can to provide for them, protect them, and give them a good education. I don’t understand why we have to explain such a basic truth.

Our resilience is often misinterpreted as emotional detachment, and our patience in the face of loss is seen as coldheartedness. But the truth is, our hearts break when we see our people suffering — when they go hungry, when they walk barefoot, or when one of them carries the remains of their sibling in a plastic bag.

We love our families, we love our children, and we would give anything to protect them if we could. And, of course, we love ourselves.

Sixth: We Are Not Legends and We Feel Fear

Once again, I apologize to my people in Gaza for having to state the obvious: we fear. We fear death, loss, bombings, and the destruction of our homes. We fear the present, and we fear the future.

Arab media often portrays us as indomitable legends who endure bombings, hunger, and death without fear — as if we’re machines, rather than humans. But the truth is simple: we are not legends. We are ordinary people who love, fear, dream, and simply want to live safe, peaceful lives with our families.

Seventh: Not All of Us Are Good

To be completely honest, not all of us are good. While we have many wonderful individuals and families, we also face the reality of those who are not. They may not be the majority, but they exist. We have thieves, opportunists, and exploiters — those who take advantage of people’s suffering. Worse still, we have politicians who prioritize their personal interests over the well-being of the people.

Like any society, our social fabric is made up of both good and bad, the kind and the cruel, the educated and the ignorant… those who work for the collective good, and those who care only for themselves. As much as I appreciate the world’s perception of us as mostly good, this idealized view can be harmful. We are, after all, human — flawed and complex — just like any other people in the world. And that is all we seek to be: human beings, no better, no worse, living as part of a society like any other, free from occupation and safe from bombs.

At last, perhaps we need a new way to talk about ourselves to the world. Similarly, the world needs a more balanced perspective — one that avoids both grim pessimism and misleading idealism. This correction starts with us, as Palestinians: journalists, writers, bloggers, and social media users. It also requires the international media to strive for truthful portrayals and abandon double standards.

We’re not asking for special treatment; we’re simply asking to be seen for what we are: human beings.