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‘If I must die’: Remembering Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer
Gaza’s intellectual community has suffered profound losses amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign.
Among the deaths was Refaat Alareer, 44, a distinguished world literature professor, who was killed in an Israeli air attack on Gaza City in December.
Before his killing, Alareer chose to write poems in English rather than his mother tongue, Arabic, aiming to inform the world about Palestinian suffering.
His poem If I Must Die, featured in the video below, stands out as one of his earliest creations. Since his killing, Alareer has been remembered through this work around the world.
For Palestinians in Gaza today, nothing worse than collecting pieces of slain loved ones
One of the hardest things we keep hearing from people in Gaza is they have to prove they are human and they deserve protection and safety, and to be shielded from the unpredictable falling of bombs.
Let’s not forget the Israeli military and its political leadership have promised to deliver death and destruction to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and now, after a whole year, we are witnessing the Israeli military and its political officials have indeed delivered what they promised.
Life as people knew it before October 7 no longer exists, and their priorities have shifted. Now, their main concern is staying safe and, more importantly, staying intact.
The worst thing that could happen to a Palestinian in Gaza currently is being killed and their family members having to collect pieces of their bodies off the ground.
Palestinians in Gaza mourn life before war
Circumstances in the Gaza Strip were hard before the war started, but it was once a place full of life and creativity.
Despite the choking Israeli siege and high levels of poverty pre-October 7, people had found their way to joy. Places that were filled with life have now turned into makeshift graveyards.
In the video report below, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh explores the Gaza Palestinians loved – and now mourn:
