Zaina Qazzaz "The occupation doesn't just kill us, it also kills our truth"

Having to evacuate your home in just five minutes because the Israeli army is about to bomb your city: this is only a small example of the countless situations that Zaina and her family have experienced since the occupation of Palestine began in 1978. Living in Gaza is synonymous with living under the shadow of war, violence, persecution, and humiliation.

Zaina Qazzaz is a journalism student originally from Gaza who has been living in Barcelona since 2024. She is currently studying a degree in Audiovisual Communication at the University of Barcelona and collaborates with different media outlets in the country. After having lived until the age of seventeen in one of the most populated cities in Palestine, she explains that she has lived through up to five armed conflicts and describes a reality marked by bombings, the persecution of civilians, and the destruction of Palestinian identity. Her testimony puts a human face on a situation that, she says, goes far beyond numbers and affects every aspect of daily life.

Despite the situation, Qazzaz has fought to move forward and pursue her dreams: she studied journalism at Birzeit University in the West Bank for three years before arriving in Barcelona. We spoke with her about her personal experience, her childhood in Gaza, and her perspective on the genocide, as well as the dignity, humanity, and human rights demanded by the Palestinian people. She took part in the 2026 spring tour of the Ciutats Defensores dels Drets Humans.