Bisan Owda

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Bisan Owda
بيسان عودة
Born1997 or 1998 (age 26 or 27)
OccupationFilmmaker
Known forDocumenting the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip on social media

Bisan Owda (Arabic: بيسان عودة; born 1997 or 1998) is a Palestinian activist, and journalist.[1] A former filmmaker, she is best known for her social media videos documenting her experiences during the Israel–Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.[2]

Early life

Owda grew up in Beit Hanoun.[3] She was interested in storytelling from a young age, as well as reading, basketball, and astronomy.[4]

Career

Owda has worked with the United Nations on gender equality,[5] as a member of UN Women's Youth Gender Innovation Agora Forum.[5] Owda has also worked with the European Union on climate change,[1][6] and is an EU Goodwill Ambassador.[4]

Owda has produced a show, Hakawatia, which is aired by Roya TV.[5][4] She also presented educational Palestinian Arabic videos for the YouTube channel Easy Languages.[7] Owda works for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).[8][9]

Owda garnered attention for her semi-regular video and livestream updates on social media documenting Palestinian civilians' experiences during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, known for opening with some variation of the phrase, "I'm still alive".[10] As of 15 October 2023, Owda had accumulated over 180,000 followers on Instagram.[1] By 20 November, she had 2 million followers, and by 5 December, she had accumulated over 3 million followers.[11] Owda's videos and reports have been shared by the likes of ABC News,[12][13] Al Jazeera,[14] the BBC,[1] Le Monde,[15] CBS News,[16] and Democracy Now!.[17]

Personal life

After the IDF told Gaza residents to evacuate, Owda and her parents relocated from Beit Hanoun to Al-Shifa Hospital.[3] Her family's home and her office in Rimal were both bombed, destroying all of Owda's filming equipment.[3]

Owda witnessed the Al-Shifa ambulance airstrike on 3 November 2023.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jon, Donnison (2023-10-15). "One week in Gaza: 'There are no safe places here'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  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 2023-12-04.
  3. ^ a b c Paccalin, Claire (2023-10-24). "'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 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  4. ^ a b c "Bisan Owda". EU Neighbours. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  5. ^ a b c "In the Words of Bisan Owda "Content Creation is an Effective Tool to Advance Gender Equality in Palestine"". UN Women – Palestine Country Office. 2023-08-28. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  6. ^ "No Water No Life". EU Neighbours. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  7. ^ Easy Languages. "Which Country Do Palestinians Like the Most? – Easy Palestinian Arabic 3". Retrieved 1 February 2024 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ Blanco, Patricia R. (2023-11-03). "Pregnant women in Gaza in dire straits with no food, water or anesthesia for Cesareans". EL PAÍS English. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  9. ^ Yee, Vivian (2023-10-28). "Israel Says Al Shifa Hospital Conceals Hamas Underground Command Centers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  10. ^ "Gaza journalists Motaz Azaiza, Bisan decry world apathy towards Israel's onslaught". The New Arab. 3 December 2023.
  11. ^ Arafat, Zaina (2023-11-20). "Witnessing Gaza Through My Instagram Feed". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  12. ^ "Video Seeing the war from the ground in Gaza". ABC News. October 19, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  13. ^ "Video Palestinian filmmaker, influencer talks about the difficulties of life inside Gaza". ABC News. 30 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  14. ^ Najjar, Farah; Stepansky, Joseph (3 November 2023). "Israel-Hamas war updates: Israeli strike hits Gaza medical convoy". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  15. ^ Rémy, Jean-Philippe; Zerrouky, Madjid (2023-11-06). "Israeli army intensifies strikes on Gaza, plunging civilians into horror and hunger". Le Monde.fr. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  16. ^ Price, Mikayla (11 November 2023). "Palestinian journalists forced to flee to southern Gaza, can't report on events in north". CBS News.
  17. ^ "Israeli Attack on Al Nasser Hospital Sends Displaced Families Fleeing". Democracy Now. 17 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Red Crescent says 15 killed in strike on Gaza ambulance outside Al-Shifa hospital". BBC News. 2023-11-03. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-07.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bisan_Owda&oldid=1220572344"