With all the inhumane activities going on against the Palestinians through the never-ending conflict with the Israelis, we witnessed some of the powerful women of Palestine who have stood up and spoken against the violent attacks and the unjust activities towards the Palestinians.
Here are a few of them we need to know :
Janna Jihad
Janna Tamimi, also known as Janna Jihad, is a young journalist born and raised in a village on the West Bank in Palestine called Nabi Salih.
At 7 years, Janna Jihad, after witnessing the killing of two of her family members during the Israeli occupation, began reporting the incident.
She had initially filmed the protests that took place in her village through her mother’s phone and uploaded them on social media, gaining international recognition.
At the age of nine, Janna was featured in the documentary Radiance of Resistance.
Janna Jihad is traveled to many countries intending to spread awareness of the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. In 2017, hosted by the Ahmad Kathrada Foundation, traveled to South Africa to spread awareness about the conflict and the violence in Palestine as a part of the Pals4Peace tour with the Shamsaan Children of Palestine. She has also covered events in Jerusalem and Jordan.
Janna has also earned the title of The Youngest Journalist in Palestine. She has also been awarded an International Benevolence Award in Istanbul, Turkey.
She has been a youth activist protesting against the Israeli Occupation of Palestine and reporting in Arabic and English.
Ahed Tamimi
Ahed Tamimi, also known as the freedom fighter for Palestine, is a 20-year-old and the cousin of Janna Jihad is also from the Occupied West Bank. Ahed is a youth activist participating in protests against the Israeli settlements. Ahed was 11 when she tried to stop the unjust arrest of her mother and was commended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Later, in an image that went viral, Ahed was seen waving her fist at an Israeli soldier for arresting her brother. After it went viral on social media, she was invited to travel to Turkey by the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She was also seen slapping an Israeli soldier in 2017.
Ahed is pursuing a law degree and striving hard to make changes.
To raise voices against the Israeli violence towards Palestinian women, Ahed Tamimi called on human rights defenders.
“I’m telling the whole world. We’re human beings, just like everyone else. It’s our right to live a normal life. We also have a right to live a nonviolent life.” Ahed said while speaking to the Anadolu Agency.
“There are women in the Gaza Strip who are also under bombardment, whose bodies have been removed from under the rubble. In Palestine, we always experience this, and we always live with pain. When a woman is beaten, I immediately see my mother in her.” She also added.
Leanne Mohamad
Leanne Mohamed is a 20-year-old from London, but both of her parents are from Palestine. Leanne is a public speaker and a human rights activist.
Leanne was recognized when she gave a public speech on the reality of the Palestinians at the age of 15, titled ‘Birds and Bombs,’ which was based on the struggles of being a Palestinian, and the speech went viral even though she was disqualified ever since she has not failed to speak about the violent crimes by done the Israelis and the forced occupation.
Leanne also addressed a crowd of more than 200,000 people during a Palestine protest speech in London.
Noura Erakat
Noura Erakat is a human rights attorney and activist raising her voice against the occupation of Palestine and also has published several books about it. Noura’s cousin Ahmed was shot and killed by the Israeli Defense forces in June 2020. Noura Erakat is also a legal scholar and a specialist in National security. She is also an Associate Professor at Rudgers University. Noura Erakat is the sister of Yousef Erakat, the YouTuber of FouseyTube.
Noura was a co-founder of Jadaliyya in 2010, an ezine affiliated with the nonprofit Arab studies institute.
Laila El – Haddad
Laila El – Haddad was born in Kuwait and is a Palestinian author and a Public Speaker from the United States. Laila moved to Gaza after graduating from University.
Laila worked as a Gaza correspondent for Al – Jazeera, where she has witnessed the sufferings of the Palestinians in their daily lives.
“Gaza Mom” is a blog started by Laila, letting people know how to raise a child in Gaza. She also shares recipes for traditional Palestinian foods in her blog.
Laila creates awareness about the situation in Palestine and also raises money to help those affected.
Muna El Kurd
Muna El Kurd is a Palestinian activist and is also considered a powerful voice of protest. Muna and her brother Mohamed are the famous Palestinian El Kurd twins. They have also made it to TIME magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Muna and her brother have been documenting the conflict since they were very young. They have been raising awareness through social media even during the recent forced eviction of the Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah.
In a video that went viral, Muna was seen confronting a settler who forcefully took over her family’s home raised awareness internationally as to what was going on in Sheikh Jarrah and the forced eviction.
Neighbors of Muna relate that each time a journalist or a citizen is arrested, Muna would sit–in and protest until they are set free.
Muna was arrested by the Israeli forces but was later released on the same day.
Muna El Kurd is the voice of the people of Palestine.
Rana Nazzal Hamadeh
Rana Nazzal Hamadeh is a Palestinian – Canadian artist and activist based in Toronto.
Rana uses her photography skills to capture what life is like in Palestine and exhibits them in Canada. In one of her exhibits, Rana displayed soil collected from Palestine.
Rana also spreads awareness about the violence from the Israelis on the Palestinians through social media.
We hope that these voices get the justice they deserve, InshaAllah!
