Writer Louisa Waugh’s unwavering curiosity has taken her from Central Asia to the Balkans and Central Africa. Rather than seeking postcard-perfect destinations, she’s drawn to conflict zones where communities have been destroyed and displaced, compelled to tell their stories.
An encounter with Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist, Raja Shehadeh led Louisa to Palestine. Starting in Ramallah, she eventually moved to the Gaza Strip, where she befriended many Gazans and witnessed the harsh realities they faced under Israeli occupation.
“Meeting ordinary people there shaped the book… I found their lives so profound. It was those personal stories that I wanted to bring to life”
In her book, Meet Me in Gaza: Uncommon Stories of Life Inside the Strip, published in 2013, she highlights Gazan’s humanity over their suffering. She remarks on the warmth and hospitality of Gazans, drinking lattes with new friends and being invited for dinner at stranger’s homes, where they share their stories.
Before arriving in Gaza she had already planned to write a book, though its shape and narrative were not yet clear. But it was the Palestinian friends she had made during her experience who urged her to show the colour and vibrancy of their lives.
“Meeting ordinary people there shaped the book,” Louisa tells The New Arab. “I found their lives so profound. It was those personal stories that I wanted to bring to life.”
Western media portrayals of Gaza show us a violent society, marred with conflict and catastrophe, in a false attempt to make people believe that is all the land holds. Yet Louisa’s account shows us this could not be further from the truth.
“I was struck by Gaza’s vibrant street life,” she explains. “The cafes and restaurants stayed open late, and you could get a great caramel latte — things I hadn’t expected from what I’d been told about Gaza.”
Louisa was particularly impressed by how Palestinians found ways to create joy in an environment filled with trauma — suffering that most people would find unbelievably stressful.
“I remember speaking with a psychologist who had worked with families there. The most profound trauma parents face is their inability to protect their children, and that’s incredibly damaging for them. It’s this combination of people living under extreme stress that has been ongoing for a very long time, yet managing to function,” Louisa tells The New Arab.
Despite their poor living situations, Louisa noticed that Gazans retained their resilience and optimism. “People still got married, fell in love, had birthday parties, and celebrated both Ramadan and Christian festivals. Gaza’s society was complex and intertwined, and that’s one of the things that struck me deeply.”
Throughout the book, Louisa Waugh weaves in the profound history of Gaza, highlighting it as part of a significant trading route along the Silk Road — Gaza was the last stop in the ancient incense trade route, connecting the Mediterranean to China.
“When I have given talks, people were often surprised to hear about the restaurants, markets selling gold, art exhibitions, and clowns working with children in some of the eight refugee camps,” she adds — most of these places which have now been destroyed by Israel’s brutal war.
“The history of Gaza is immense and is now being deliberately destroyed by Neyanyahu’s government… this is also a war on Palestinian history and cultural memory”
The history of the territory is often overshadowed by that of Damascus, Aleppo, or Sanaa which are the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth. “Whether or not Gaza is the oldest, it’s certainly among them. People have lived in Gaza for a very long time, and it has an incredibly rich history,” Louisa continues.
“I visited buildings that were over a thousand years old. I used to go to the hammam, which was sadly destroyed. The walls of those ancient buildings told incredible stories, but so did the people, especially the women I met.”
She recalls regular visits to Saint Porphyrius, a fourth-century church in the Zaytun Quarter, where prayers were read in Arabic and Greek. The church has been a place for Palestinians to seek refuge in conflict but has been bombed multiple times since.
“The history of Gaza is immense and is now being deliberately destroyed by Neyanyahu’s government… this is also a war on Palestinian history and cultural memory,” Louisa adds.
Since October 7, Israel has called for a total “blockade” of the Gaza Strip. So far, Gaza has been reduced to over 40 million tonnes of debris, making it largely uninhabitable. As Israel continues to relentlessly bomb the enclave, 90% of the population has had to leave their homes and are displaced while living in extreme poverty and hunger.
That doesn’t even cover the countless human lives lost. Estimated figures reveal that more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks and thousands more are buried under rubble. Those who have managed to survive are threatened by illnesses and disease.
More than half of Gaza’s homes, commercial facilities, school buildings, and healthcare facilities have been bombed, with 200 heritage sites damaged or completely destroyed. This widespread destruction points to nothing but an attempt to erase Palestinians and their cultural memory — stripping them of their past and future.
Louisa comments poignantly: “Gaza has been transformed, decimated, by this war, but there are still remnants of that vibrant culture. But what gets lost is the humanity of the people. I believe we will look back on this catastrophe with terrible shame at what we did not stop.”
In recent months her book has gained popularity again among those seeking to understand Palestine. “Storytelling is a way to connect, to move beyond political rhetoric and into the lived experiences of individuals.”
Occasionally messages will remind Louisa Waugh of her and her book’s purpose. “One of the most beautiful messages I received was from a man I met in Gaza, who is now living in Ireland. He wrote to me, saying, ‘Thank you for telling our story.’”
For her, storytelling has become a way for her to give Gazans a voice.
“When we look at what’s happening now, especially the number of children being maimed for life, it’s horrifying. The bombing has become so banal to many, but the profound impact on people’s lives, especially children, is immense.”
She finally adds: “Palestinian society is not perfect, and I’ve never tried to portray it that way, but the destruction of its culture and history is deliberate, and it’s a profound loss.”
As Palestinian life faces erasure, Meet Me in Gaza will endure as a powerful source of Gazan cultural memory. One that cannot be censored, destroyed or diminished.
Kushie Amin is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in the Metro, Glamour (UK), Refinery29 and The Independent
Follow her on X: @kushieamin
