Shahd Rajab

I was born in 18 October 2003.My first name :shahdLast name:rajabHello world!!

My name is Shahd Rajab. I am Palestinian, and I have been living in the beautiful city of Gaza since I was born in 2003.

I am a person who loves her family, art, life, and learning—and also coffee, where I find my happiness.I am currently studying for a Bachelor's degree in Multimedia Technology in my third year. Despite the war, the destruction of universities, poor internet, and frequent power outages, I am still continuing my education online.

I have been practicing drawing as a hobby since I was young.

Like any Palestinian living in Palestine, especially in the besieged Gaza Strip, I have lived through many wars since my childhood: the wars of 2008, 2012, 2014, as well as 2021, 2022, and 2023—which has not stopped to this day.Despite these wars, I hold very beautiful memories in every corner of my city, and with people and friends who have lost their lives in these brutal wars.

I remember after the 2014 war, my family’s situation was very difficult, and my father had to move internally to the West Bank for work. I was 13 years old at the time. Since then, my father would travel to the West Bank for a week or up to a month at most.We missed him a lot and waited for his return at the end of each week or month.

A few days before October 7, 2023, my father had traveled to the West Bank—not for work, but for health reasons—and he has not returned since, due to the war and the closure of crossings.Today is March 7, 2026. I never imagined that all this time would pass without his return.

We have lived—and are still living—through very difficult conditions since the beginning of the war without him. My mother now carries the responsibility of our family.I am the eldest sister, and my older brother is just one year younger than me.

We have endured hardships that would have been less painful if my father were with us—displacement, bombardment, hunger, cold, living in tents, searching for a safe place, and walking long distances under shelling and in front of tanks.

Thank God he is safe, and I pray that he returns as soon as possible so I can hug him again.

All the wars were difficult, but the last war has been the hardest and most brutal.We were displaced more than 20 times. There was no safe place in the Gaza Strip, and everyone was at risk of bombing and death—civilians, journalists, doctors, teachers, photographers, and even newborn babies.

My view of life and the world has changed, and so has my personality. For the first time, I understood the meaning of betrayal. The world was watching us while we were being slaughtered.I felt a deep, painful resentment toward the entire world—and toward the principles of humanity and human rights that seem to protect everyone except Palestinians.

There were moments when I felt like I had lost my ability to feel.I saw rivers of blood in the streets, martyrs lying on the ground, massive explosions. I survived from under rubble and bombardment several times.I remember walking in the street and suddenly finding myself part of a martyr’s funeral.I also experienced the pain of hunger and weakness while sitting in the streets and hospital corridors because we had no safe place to go.

I witnessed terrifying scenes and heard the horrifying sounds of rockets that still echo in my ears.And I had no reaction—something that deeply frightened me.

I feel that inside me is filled with violent memories and images, and I wish I could get rid of them.“This is the hope of every person in Gaza who has lived through the harshness of war.”

Art has been my only way to defend my homeland in the face of war and death.I have created many artworks that express the suffering during the war, and I will continue to draw and never stop.Art is the one thing that cannot be taken away from me. It is my source of strength and courage in these times.

Until now, I have survived the war physically without injury, thank God.I am still standing strong with my family in my city, and I will never abandon it—even if it is reduced to rubble.We will rebuild it and make it more beautiful than before, God willing.I wrote this to a friend in America, and she would like to include it in one of her books.

I think you can take some information about me from it. If you need any information about me, you can ask me!