Description

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Gaza has always been rebellious . . . stubborn, addictive. I'm her daughter, and I look like her.

A Palestinian journalist who grew up in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza, Asmaa al-Ghoul offers a rare view of a young woman coming into her own political and secular beliefs amidst the region's relentless violence and under Israeli occupation. She has been called "too strong minded," frequently criticized for not covering her hair and for being outspoken. As a journalist and activist, she has led demonstrations and been vocal in her opposition to Hamas and Fatah, which has led her to family strife, imprisonment, brutal interrogations, death threats and attacks.

A Rebel in Gaza is Asmaa's story as told to Franco-Lebanese writer Selim Nassib over the course of the "Arab Spring" through meetings, phone calls, Skype, and even texts during the siege of Gaza in 2014, when Israel conducted Operation Cast Lead in response to several rocket attacks by Hamas and she was locked in the "open air prison" that her homeland had become. Both determined and dedicated to its liberation through writing, education and culture, she paints the sensory portrait of the native country she passionately loves, which over years has become a cauldron of wars and fundamentalism.

Asmaa al-Ghoul (b. 1982) was given the prestigious Courage in Journalism Award by the International Women's Media Foundation and is described by The New York Times as a woman "known for her defiant stance against the violations of civil rights in Gaza."

Selim Nassib (b. 1946), journalist for Lib ration and novelist is the author of I Loved You for Your Voice and The Palestinian Lover (Europa Editions).

About the Author

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Asmaa al-Ghoul is a Palestinian journalist and author. Born in 1982 in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and the eldest of nine siblings, Asmaa grew up in a society dominated by political strife, corruption and male chauvinism, but also by an incredible humanity. Described by The New York Times as a woman "known for her defiant stance against the violations of civil rights in Gaza," Asmaa al-Ghoul maintains a large social media following on her self-styled channel, where she has delivered some of her most important breaking news. At the age of 18, Al-Ghoul won the Palestinian Youth Literature Award. In 2010, she received a Hellman/Hammett grant from Human Rights Watch, aimed at helping writers "who dare to express ideas that criticize official public policy or people in power." In 2012, Al-Ghoul was awarded the Courage in Journalism Award by the prestigious International Women's Media Foundation. She currently works for Al Monitor, a Washington D.C. based media site specializing in the Middle-East and lives in Southern France, where she is writing her next book.