Gaza’s “Creative Refuge” Endures Despite Ceasefire, Writer’s Own Exodus Stalled
By [Your Name], International Editor
GAZA STRIP – Safaa Al-Nabaheen, a Palestinian author, began a small act of defiance in early 2024, a workshop for children in the central Gaza town of Al-Zawayda. Amidst the escalating conflict following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military response, she sought to offer a space for imagination and storytelling, a refuge from the surrounding death and destruction. More than a year later, her project persists, but the promise of peace remains elusive, and Al-Nabaheen herself faces an uncertain future, trapped within the besieged enclave.
The initial impetus for the workshops came as Israel issued evacuation orders, triggering a mass displacement of Palestinians. By the end of 2024, approximately 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents were displaced, according to a Human Rights Watch report. As towns swelled with refugees and the death toll mounted, Al-Nabaheen, 31, believed she could offer a vital service.
“As a writer and novelist, I could offer training workshops for children and adolescents on the art of short-story writing, teaching them how to channel their inner worlds through narrative,” she explained. However, the reality on the ground quickly revealed a deeper trauma. “In my first session with them, I discovered that some of them had aged 20 years,” she recounted. Children spoke not of dreams, but of securing water, gathering firewood, and praying for dry nights in makeshift tents.
Despite the overwhelming despair, Al-Nabaheen persevered, starting with simple gatherings fueled by her voice and imagination. The “Creative Refuge Project” gradually expanded, attracting more children as schools remained closed. She leveraged Facebook to spread the word, offering a space for psychological support, recreation, and creative expression.
[Embed Instagram post showing children participating in a workshop, if available. Caption: “Children participate in a creative workshop led by Safaa Al-Nabaheen in central Gaza. #Gaza #Palestine #CreativeRefuge #Hope”]
Tragedy struck in July 2024 when Al-Nabaheen’s brother, Mohammed, was killed in an Israeli drone strike while collecting wood. She paused the project for six months, focusing on her studies despite the constant disruption. Then, in September 2024, the Goethe-Institut, a German NGO, offered funding, allowing her to rebuild and expand the program.
But the reprieve was short-lived. Just weeks later, her second brother, Saeb, a father of three, was killed by an Israeli quadcopter while fishing – a tactic the UN would later condemn as “systematic” targeting of civilian fishers, resulting in over 200 deaths by December 2024. A UN report in May 2025 detailed the attacks, noting the fishers were often targeted “without warning” and posed no discernible threat.
Despite these devastating losses, Al-Nabaheen pressed on, reopening the workshops in a newly constructed tent, decorated with vibrant colors and images. The project flourished for three months, culminating in a tearful farewell as most of the children returned to their homes in northern Gaza.
The October 13, 2025, ceasefire brokered by the United States at a summit in Egypt, and signed by President Donald Trump under “The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity,” offered a glimmer of hope. However, Al-Nabaheen dismisses the ceasefire as a facade.
“It is a lie. In reality, the war has not stopped. It has only stopped in the media to quiet public opinion,” she maintains. While emergency supplies have alleviated immediate famine concerns, the Gaza health ministry reports that 586 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, bringing the total death toll to over 72,000, according to PBS NewsHour.
[Embed YouTube video report on the ceasefire and ongoing violence in Gaza, if available. Caption: “Recent reporting on the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and the continued loss of life. #GazaCeasefire #Palestine #Israel”]
Al-Nabaheen’s own attempts to escape the ongoing violence and pursue her writing career abroad have been repeatedly thwarted. She has received conditional acceptance to a UK university and a fellowship at a US university, but bureaucratic hurdles and the US government’s reluctance to evacuate Palestinians have left her stranded.
“I cannot find the words to describe the scale of injustice and frustration I am enduring,” she said. Despite the obstacles, she remains committed to her craft, having published three novels – “The Mystery of the Forgotten Girl,” “Disowned,” and a collection of poems, “When Ash Blossoms” – and completed a fourth, “Letters Not Yet Delivered.”
Communication with the outside world remains precarious, with frequent internet outages. FRANCE 24’s interviews with Al-Nabaheen were conducted through a patchwork of emails, messages, and calls, often interrupted by the sounds of nearby explosions.
Al-Nabaheen’s story underscores the enduring resilience of the Palestinian people and the urgent need for a lasting solution to the conflict. Her “Creative Refuge Project” offers a powerful example of how art and storytelling can provide solace and hope in the face of unimaginable hardship, even as the author herself struggles to find a path towards a more secure future.