This is orginially taken from the Summer 2026 Issue of Dazed.

For three weeks in March, Plestia Alaqad found a moment of serenity sailing the Atlantic Ocean with nine other young activists. “No one owns the ocean,” explains the 24-year-old journalist and author from Palestine. “So being there, it’s like we’re creating our own Nutopia.” The expedition was filmed as part of the upcoming docufilm The Ark of Change, with each person from the group choosing a social issue to discuss: for some, it was education or women’s rights; for Alaqad, it was genocide.

Most people were introduced to Alaqad in 2023, as a 21-year-old Gaza resident reporting on the genocide from her iPhone. Before she evacuated to Australia, Alaqad documented moments from her daily life, including encounters with people in displacement camps facing starvation, disease and the destruction of their neighbourhoods, often in the immediate aftermath of Israeli air strikes. Even as journalists were systematically targeted by Israel, she continued to report.

Alaqad released her first book, The Eyes of Gaza, to critical acclaim last year. Consisting of diary entries written in the wake of October 7, the memoir features intimate and often harrowing anecdotes that shed light on life under occupation, beyond the snippets that we see on social media. “Whenever people ask me about life in Gaza, I always refer them to the book,” says Alaqad. “There is the genocide, but you wake up every day, try to survive it and get on with your day. There are a lot of books about Gaza, but you rarely see books about Gaza by Palestinian authors. It’s often international authors who have never even lived there writing about us, so I’m glad we are breaking that cycle.”

A year on from the book’s release, the state of the region is just as bleak. Once again living under Israeli bombardment – this time as a master’s student in Beirut – Alaqad is determined to find new ways to reach people, including her upcoming acting debut in Palestinian horror film The Visitor. “We don’t have any option but to remain hopeful,” she explains. “Obviously, I feel afraid a lot of the time, but I do things no matter how scared I feel. I need to be able to keep going.”

Here, Alaqad shares a list of things to read, watch and listen to that keep her hopeful and shine a light on the Palestinian cause.

READ

Mornings in Jenin, Susan Abulhawa (2006)

“I first read this book, which follows a Palestinian family through three different generations, in 2019 and didn’t want it to end. As Palestinians living in Gaza, we’re separated from the rest of Palestine in the West Bank. So reading this book did a lot for me. You know you’ve read a good book when years later it still has an impact on you, and you remember how it made you feel.”

WATCH

The Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont (1994)

“There’s this quote from the film, ‘Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.’ This really resonated with me in high school. I printed it out and stuck it on my bedroom wall. It reminded me to stay hopeful, no matter the circumstances. It’s not realistic to be hopeful all the time–no one is–but I hope it won’t always be like this in Palestine.”

All That’s Left of You, Cherien Dabis (2025)

“I watched this film with my childhood friend, Karma, who is from Gaza like me. We both got so emotional. In fact, we cried at several points, because we realised that this is our life, this is what happened to us. Sometimes you don’t understand what happened to you until you see it on screen. And then you’re like, ‘Oh my God, how did I survive all of that?’”

Modern Family

“I’m currently doing my master’s and when I come home from my lectures, I cook if I have the energy, or order in, and put this on in the background. It’s just comforting. Sometimes I want to turn the news off but want to watch something, and start watching something related to Palestine–I just do it subconsciously. That’s why, when things feel overwhelming, I turn on Modern Family again.”

LISTEN

Faia Younan

“I’ve been familiar with Faia’s music since I was young; I always used to listen to her with my best friend, Dana. I met her in Lebanon and we’ve become good friends. One thing I admire about Faia is how authentic she is in a world that is so driven by trends. She stays true to herself, and I love that about her.”

BUY

Wear the Peace × Plestia

“All of the profits [from my collaboration with clothing brand Wear the Peace] go to the Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Fund, which helps children affected by the genocide in Gaza and the war in Lebanon. The collaboration came together with the turtle embroidery; there’s a poppy [the national flower of Palestine] on the inside and a keffiyeh pattern on the outside. Turtles are patient and carry their home with them on their backs, and that’s how I think of us Palestinians. This did not start in October 2023–for decades, we have been patient and carrying our homes on our backs wherever we go.”