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Bisan Owda (Template:Lang-ar; born 1997 or 1998) is a Palestinian journalist, activist, and filmmaker. She is best known for her social media videos documenting her experiences during the Israel–Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. She won a 2024 Peabody Award in the News category for her Al Jazeera Media Network show, "It's Bisan from Gaza and I'm Still Alive."

Early life

Owda grew up in Beit Hanoun. She was interested in storytelling from a young age, as well as reading, basketball, and astronomy.

Career

Owda has worked with the United Nations on gender equality as a member of UN Women's Youth Gender Innovation Agora Forum. Owda has also worked with the European Union on climate change, and is an EU Goodwill Ambassador. Owda has produced a show, Hakawatia, which is aired by Roya TV. She also presented educational Palestinian Arabic videos for the YouTube channel Easy Languages. Owda works for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

During a May 2021 escalation in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Owda shared videos on Instagram with the goal of drawing international attention to conditions in Gaza. During the Israel–Hamas war, which began in October 2023, Owda garnered attention for her semi-regular video and livestream updates on social media documenting Palestinian civilians' experiences. She became known for opening her videos with some variation of the phrase, "I'm still alive". Her videos are mostly in English, though some are in Arabic. As of 15 October, Owda had accumulated over 180,000 followers on Instagram.

After the Israel Defense Forces told Gaza residents to evacuate in October 2023, Owda and her parents relocated from Beit Hanoun to Al-Shifa Hospital. Her family's home and her office in Rimal were both bombed, destroying all of Owda's filming equipment. From Al-Shifa Hospital, Owda documented everyday life on social media. Owda witnessed the Al-Shifa ambulance airstrike on 3 November. She was displaced from Al-Shifa Hospital after it was sieged in mid-November. She continued to report on these conditions as she experienced them. By 20 November, she had 2 million followers, and by 5 December, she had accumulated over 3 million followers. By May 2024, Owda had accumulated 4.1 million followers.

See also

• Motaz Azaiza
• Wael Al-Dahdouh
• Plestia Alaqad
• History of Palestinian journalism

References

1. ^ Jon, Donnison (15 October 2023). "One week in Gaza: 'There are no safe places here'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
2. Saab, Sheren Falah (29 November 2023). "'This Is Bisan. I'm Still Alive': The Gazans Reporting From the Ground on Social Media". Haaretz. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
3. Pedersen, Erik (9 May 2024). "Peabody Award Winners Include 'The Bear', 'Last Of Us', 'Reservation Dogs' & 'Bluey'; Special Honor For 'Star Trek' Franchise". Deadline. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
4. ^ Paccalin, Claire (24 October 2023). "'Not sure I'm lucky to be alive': Gazans fear worse is to come as public health 'catastrophe' looms". France 24. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
5. ^ "Bisan Owda". EU Neighbours. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
6. ^ "In the Words of Bisan Owda "Content Creation is an Effective Tool to Advance Gender Equality in Palestine"". UN Women – Palestine Country Office. 28 August 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
7. "No Water No Life". EU Neighbours. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
8. Easy Languages. "Which Country Do Palestinians Like the Most? – Easy Palestinian Arabic 3". Retrieved 1 February 2024 – via YouTube.
9. Blanco, Patricia R. (3 November 2023). "Pregnant women in Gaza in dire straits with no food, water or anesthesia for Cesareans". EL PAÍS English. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
10. Yee, Vivian (28 October 2023). "Israel Says Al Shifa Hospital Conceals Hamas Underground Command Centers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
11. "'Are you still alive? Is there bombing around you?': These are the questions asked inside Gaza". ABC News. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
12. "Gaza journalists Motaz Azaiza, Bisan decry world apathy towards Israel's onslaught". The New Arab. 3 December 2023.
13. ^ Arafat, Zaina (20 November 2023). "Witnessing Gaza Through My Instagram Feed". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
14. Rémy, Jean-Philippe; Zerrouky, Madjid (6 November 2023). "Israeli army intensifies strikes on Gaza, plunging civilians into horror and hunger". Le Monde.fr. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
15. "Red Crescent says 15 killed in strike on Gaza ambulance outside Al-Shifa hospital". BBC News. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
16. Price, Mikayla (11 November 2023). "Palestinian journalists forced to flee to southern Gaza, can't report on events in north". CBS News.
17. Malik, Asmaa; Fatah, Sonya (30 January 2024). "Attacks on Press Freedoms Have Chilling Effects Far beyond Gaza". The Walrus. Retrieved 10 June 2024.

External links

• Bisan Owda on Instagram
• Bisan Owda on TikTok

• 1990s births
• Living people
• 21st-century Palestinian journalists
• 21st-century Palestinian women
• Instagram people
• Palestinian film producers
• Palestinian Internet celebrities
• United Nations Population Fund
• Palestinian women film producers
• People of the Israel–Hamas war
• Palestinian women journalists
• 21st-century women journalists
• Journalists from the Gaza Strip