News DeskDubai, UAE – GQ Hype is GQ’s newest editorial spotlight – the pulse of now – blending bold visuals, raw storytelling, and fresh cultural energy with a laid-back edge. On the cusp of releasing her debut book, The Eyes of Gaza, Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad opens up to GQ Middle East on a GQ Hype cover about the emotional toll of documenting destruction in real time, storytelling under siege, and what it truly means to hand over your diary to the world.
First introduced to the global stage in October 2023 through a now-viral video capturing her reaction to a bomb blast in Gaza, Plestia quickly became one of the most recognisable voices on the ground. She shares an unfiltered look into the journal she wrote during those first 45 days following the attacks, a journal that is now a published book.
Amine Jreissati, Head of Editorial Content at GQ Middle East, said: “This interview with Plestia is not only one of the most important we’ve ever published, it’s one of the most human. Her story, her honesty, and her courage remind us why we do what we do. She’s redefining what it means to be a hero in today’s world. Featuring her on GQ Hype, our newest editorial spotlight and the pulse of now felt instinctive. GQ Hype is about capturing real voices, raw emotion, and cultural energy, and Plestia embodies all of that.”
In her own words Plestia shares a deeply personal reflection on life in Gaza, a reminder that behind every headline is a human story; “There are 8 billion people in the world, and everyone experienced today differently. In that same way, there are over 1 million people in Gaza, and for each person, there is a Gaza through their eyes. This is Gaza through mine.” — Plestia Alaqad
The book is a raw account of life under siege, pulled directly from diary entries scribbled in bomb shelters, hospitals, and border crossings. For Plestia, sharing her most vulnerable thoughts with the world was a difficult but necessary choice.
“It feels like my thoughts aren’t mine any more. It’s like everything going on in my brain is out in a book,” she shares with GQ Hype. “I’m naked now. Everyone knows everything.”
Even in the darkest moments, she clung to the power of storytelling: “Sometimes, from how much I didn’t want – from how scared I was… Like, you might get killed any minute – I didn’t want anyone to see my thoughts, my feelings, what I was thinking. I would always hide it in my press vest, so it would always be with me.”
“When I understood the impact this story would have on the world. That it will actually be studied in schools one day, inshallah. I felt it would be selfish not to, because it’s not about me, it’s about Gaza.”
