For a Palestinian writer, crafting a book that revives the anguish of a lived tragedy is a harrowing challenge. Rasha Farhat, a Palestinian author, captured the horrors of Israeli atrocities in Only in Gaza, recounting them through the voices of survivors: a mother waiting for her children who returned in shattered remains, a newborn destined to grow up without parents, and families seeking refuge in homes that offered no safety. Each chapter delves deeper into the pain and devastation.

After enduring multiple displacements in Gaza, Farhat only began writing once she found refuge in Egypt. There, she documented the stories she had lived, those shared by her loved ones left behind, and the tragedies she followed on social media. In just one month, she completed a 200-page collection of 26 stories. “I couldn’t stop writing, as the genocide continues, so do the stories,” she explained.

Though completed quickly, the collection was deeply painful to write. Farhat revealed that the project began as a suggestion from her therapist to process her grief. However, every word brought her back to the traumatic scenes she had lived through. Even now, rereading these stories is an emotional struggle, leaving her feeling as though she is reliving the battles of the past.

Despite the heartbreak, Only in Gaza is a vital step in her mission to amplify Gaza’s voice globally. Farhat hopes the book will be translated into multiple languages, allowing the world to bear witness to a reality often too harrowing to comprehend.

The publication of the book was bittersweet. “I had no husband or friends to celebrate this achievement with,” Farhat reflected. Yet, she remains steadfast in her belief that these stories, however tragic, are essential to preserving Gaza’s collective memory and ensuring its truth is heard.

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