Meet Arwa Elrayess—the first Palestinian elected president of the Oxford Union in its 202-year history.

Husam Zomlot & Arwa Elrayess

Husam Zomlot

Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the UK. Former Ambassdor to the United States. 

@hzomlot

 

Meet Arwa Elrayess—the first Palestinian elected president of the Oxford Union in its 202-year history. 

 

I’ve known Arwa and her family since she was a teenager. 

 

She is from #Gaza, and now she’s making history at #Oxford, championing open debate on human rights, justice, and equality. 

 

Despite silencing campaigns against her, her election shows the power of young Palestinian talent and a growing global movement for justice. 

 

From Zohran Mamdani in New York to Arwa Elrayess at Oxford—it’s the same movement, the same demand. And it is unstoppable. 

 

 #ArwaElrayess #OxfordUnion #Palestine #FreePalestine #Justice #StudentMovement #PalestinianVoices.

 https://x.com/hzomlot/status/1997694456691122591

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"I experienced hunger, I experienced bombing and shelling, and I have experienced exile and loss because I am Palestinian, because I am from Gaza, all I did was I was born in Gaza. Gaza is a small place that is very beautiful, it has a lovely sea, and lovely weather, not like the weather here. There is sun, and no wind. I am here today to tell you how Gaza is beautiful and how people there are very nice, and all the children love to play and they love to go to school and they love to be children like other children. I am here to tell you about Palestine, our culture, our traditions, and that we love life, we don’t like destruction and that we don’t deserve what we have lived through and continue to live through.”" Renad from Gaza

renadfromgaza  2025 

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During my participation in the International Day of Solidarity with Palestine at the Palestinian embassy in The Hague, I shared with the world part of my story and how I became not a child anymore.

This is part of my speech:

“Today, I am here without my family, without my mum, not in my home country. The only thing I have is my voice and this is the only reason why my mother allowed e to leave, when we got the opportunity to leave Gaza, she let me leave because she knew my voice will be the voice of people living in Gaza who are without food, without water, without shelter, and who are now living in tents in the piercing cold.

I experienced hunger, I experienced bombing and shelling, and I have experienced exile and loss because I am Palestinian, because I am from Gaza, all I did was I was born in Gaza.

Gaza is a small place that is very beautiful, it has a lovely sea, and lovely weather, not like the weather here. There is sun, and no wind. I am here today to tell you how Gaza is beautiful and how people there are very nice, and all the children love to play and they love to go to school and they love to be children like other children. I am here to tell you about Palestine, our culture, our traditions, and that we love life, we don’t like destruction and that we don’t deserve what we have lived through and continue to live through.”

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Renad Attallah

 https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search?q=Renad+Attallah

Guardian’s former Gaza correspondent named young journalist of the year in UK awards Malak A Tantesh, 20, ‘showed immense talent and bravery’, said judges at Media Freedom awards in London

Malak Tantesh (right) with family members in northern Gaza. Photograph: Enas Tantesh/The Guardian

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https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/14/gaza-correspondent-young-journalist-of-the-year-media-freedom-awards

Julian Borger Senior international correspondent

Fri 14 Nov 2025 09.33 EST

The Guardian  

The UK’s Society of Editors has named Malak A Tantesh, the Guardian’s former Gaza correspondent, as young journalist of the year in the national press category at this year’s Media Freedom awards.

The judges said Tantesh “showed immense talent and bravery in some of the hardest conditions ever faced by a journalist, she continued to report while having to forage for food and facing the constant risk of bombing and the threat of targeted killing”.

Tantesh, 20, reported for the Guardian from Gaza for 18 months. She described the impact of the war, losing close relatives and witnessing the aftermath of bombing first hand. She wrote about her family’s return to her birthplace in Beit Lahia, to find their home in ruins and their orchard destroyed. “My memories are crushed and buried,” she wrote.

In October, Tantesh published an article looking back on two years of war, which took the people of Gaza through a “gateway to hell”. There were times, she wrote, when the surviving members of her family envied the dead.

Tantesh and her father Amjed return to the rubble of their home in northern Gaza. Photograph: Enas Tantesh/The Guardian

According to the UN, at least 248 journalists had been killed in Gaza by September, more than in any other conflict in modern times. There have been repeated allegations that Israel was deliberately targeting journalists. Israel has denied the charge, while claiming that some of the journalists its forces killed had been Hamas operatives.

Receiving the award on Wednesday, Tantesh thanked her parents for “raising me to be the person who I am now”.

“They are still there in Gaza, suffering what I was suffering during the past months,” she said, and went on to thank her sister Enas, who worked alongside her as a photographer in Gaza, and her cousin Seham, who has now taken up her position as correspondent. They had stood with her throughout her time working in Gaza, she said.

Tantesh also acknowledged the support of her editors and colleagues at the Guardian and “all the people who have stood with me all the way”.

The Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, said: “I am thrilled that Malak’s brave, meticulous, moving reporting, delivered under the most awful of circumstances, has been recognised by the judges. A brilliant journalistic future is ahead of her.” 

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/14/gaza-correspondent-young-journalist-of-the-year-media-freedom-awards 

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"The value of human life should not depend on nationality, religion, or political alliances...." On this week’s cover of The Lancet, a new letter: “Gaza’s healthocide: medical societies must not stay silent”.

On this week’s cover of The Lancet, a new letter: 

“Gaza’s healthocide: medical societies must not stay silent”. Read the letter and more in our latest issue: https://hubs.li/Q03LX2fw0

Oct 04, 2025

Volume 406Number 10511p1443-1534   https://www.thelancet.com/issue/S0140-6736(25)X0040-4?dgcid=twitter_organic_cover25_lancet&hss_channel=tw-27013292

Gaza's healthocide: medical societies must not stay silent

Alessandro Vitale^a alessandro.vitale@unipd.it ∙ Mohammad Abu Hilal^b,c ∙ Andrew A Gumbs^d,e ∙ Amir Szold^f ∙ Umberto Cillo^a ∙ Isabella Frigerio^g,h

The catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with the apparent deliberate targeting of health-care infrastructure and personnel, has highlighted a profound challenge to the global medical community. Hospitals are under siege and clinicians are operating without basic supplies, power, or safety.^1,2 We are all deeply concerned about the suffering civilian population in Gaza and Israeli hostages, who are both living under inhumane conditions after the massacre of Oct 7, 2023.²

 

WHO and UN agencies have reported at least 772 attacks on health care,³ with 94% of hospitals damaged or destroyed² and more than 1500 health-care workers killed⁴—the highest toll ever recorded.^5,6 No independent or neutral organisation has provided evidence that Hamas deliberately used hospitals or other civilian facilities as human shields.⁷ Even if proven in the future, such claims could never justify systematic attacks on the health-care system. This is a violation of international humanitarian law and demands explicit condemnation.^1,2 Most medical and surgical societies worldwide have remained silent or issued vague statements about Gaza's healthocide. A recent analysis found that only 24·5% of US speciality societies commented publicly on the Gaza conflict,⁸ in contrast to previous crises in which medical societies mobilised resources and expressed support.^9–12

 

The value of human life should not depend on nationality, religion, or political alliances... READ MORE  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01735-0/fulltext

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"A ripple effect- They may not have reached Gaza's shores, but the crew still delievered... For the first time sine October 2023 Palestinain could fish without being shot at by the Israeli navy (they've been too busy chasing the flotillas)."

OFFICIAL UPDATE FROM GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA 

Organization CONFIRMS the Israeli naval forces illegally intercepted and boarded the Global Sumud Flotilla’s vessel Sirius along with other boats in international waters. 

 38 PEOPLE from 16 COUNTRIES KIDNAPPED

The people of Gaza thank the Global Sumud Flotilla for giving them an opportunity to fish by distracting the occupation forces whose mission is genocide by hunger.

 Global Sumud Flotilla Commentary

@Globalsumudf

 

Images of activists Rima Hassan and Greta Thunberg have emerged as they are being deported — both smiling defiantly. 

 

Their courage exposes the injustice of a system that deports those bringing aid, while protecting those enforcing an illegal siege. 

 

You can detain people, but you can’t deport the truth

 

Middle East Eye

@MiddleEastEye

“From the sea to Gaza - we will not forget you. We will not let you be forgotten. This is the voice of humanity.” 

 

These were the last words recorded from the Marinette, the last active boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, before Israeli forces intercepted them on Friday. 

 

With roughly 500 participants from different countries aboard at least 42 vessels, the Global Sumud Flotilla set out carrying humanitarian aid in an historic effort to open up a humanitarian corridor in the Gaza strip.   

 

It was the largest civilian-led initiative ever to try and break Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza.   https://x.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1974069720119656459

  

 

Israeli Embassy in Athens under siege last night as the city comes out to protest the holocaust in Gaza and the IDF kidnapping of comrades on the Global Flotilla.

Nadeen Ayoub, a former Miss Earth finalist, will represent Palestine at Miss Universe 2025, the country’s first entry into the global pageant.

Nadeen Ayoub Makes History as the First Miss Universe Palestine  2025

nadeen.m.ayoub

"I am honored to announce that for the first time ever, Palestine will be represented at Miss Universe.
Today, I step onto the Miss Universe stage not just with a title—but with a truth. 🇵🇸
As Palestine endures heartbreak—especially in Gaza—I carry the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced.
I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see.
We are more than our suffering—we are resilience, hope, and the heartbeat of a homeland that lives on through us."

'Miss Palestine' to debut at Miss Universe 2025 beauty contest

Palestine will be represented at Miss Universe for the first time this year, with Nadeen Ayoub confirmed as the country's contestant for the 74th edition of the global pageant.

The event is scheduled to take place on 21 November in Pak Kret, Thailand.

Ayoub, who was crowned Miss Palestine in 2022, made the announcement on social media on Wednesday, sharing a photograph of herself in a traditional tatreez-embroidered dress by Palestinian designer Hiba Abdelkarim. The designer’s work has been worn by prominent figures, including Jordan’s Queen Rania.

In 2022, Ayoub became the first Palestinian to compete at Miss Earth, where she finished among the top five finalists. She said her decision to delay participating in Miss Universe until now was shaped by the humanitarian crisis at home.

"I am proud to walk this path, especially in this time, when we all need to be a voice for Palestine,” she told The National.

"I want to show the world that Palestinian women are not only resilient and beautiful, but are also leaders, innovators and changemakers," she said.

"As Palestine endures heartbreak, especially in Gaza. I carry the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced. We are more than our suffering, we are resilience, hope and the heartbeat of a homeland that lives on through us."

Raised between Palestine, the US and Canada, Ayoub holds degrees in literature and psychology and is a certified wellness and nutrition coach.

Since 2022, she has worked closely with Sayidat Falasteen, the philanthropic and media initiative of the Miss Palestine Organisation, which amplifies women’s voices in Palestine and the diaspora, supports their businesses, and highlights their impact.

She is also the founder of Olive Green Academy, which promotes sustainability and environmental awareness. Through the academy, she helps Palestinian women train in digital media and environmental advocacy, supporting them to launch sustainable enterprises and act as climate ambassadors.  https://www.newarab.com/news/miss-palestine-debut-miss-universe-2025-beauty-contest

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Nadeen Ayoub: Passionate humanitarian making history as Miss Palestine

February 13, 2023

 “We as Palestinians have such a rich culture and the Arab world, in general, has a lot to offer. I think it’s amazing to have the chance to represent that…and I don’t take it lightly,” is how Nadeen Ayoub, or Miss Palestine, describes her drive to compete in international pageantry and represent Palestine.

Crowned Miss Earth Water 2022 at only 24, Nadeen Ayoub made history as the first Palestinian woman to win a major international beauty pageant. Ayoub is not only a Palestinian beauty queen, she is a humanitarian and advocate passionate about women’s health and making a difference in her community. Ayoub shared pageantry for her is about “breaking stereotypes of Palestinians and Arabs in the media.” As a longtime health and fitness coach, she emphasized that her drive behind her work is to show that “Arab women are strong, have a lot to offer, are educated, and beautiful. And not just beautiful on the outside but we can teach the world about Palestinian culture and history.”  

Ayoub grew up living between Palestine, the US, and Canada. Even though she moved around the world, her parent’s made sure to remain grounded in Palestine and proud of their heritage. Ayoub’s family roots span from Yafa and throughout the West Bank. As a teen, Ayoub had a determined spirit and completed certification programs in both fitness and nutrition all while she was in high school. After graduating with her BA in Literature and Psychology from Canada, Ayoub moved back to Palestine to work as a women’s fitness coach, nutrition counselor, and psychology teacher in the Palestinian West Bank. 

It wasn’t until after Ayoub graduated from college that she made the decision to compete in beauty pageants... READ MORE https://imeu.org/article/nadeen-ayoub-passionate-humanitarian-making-history-as-miss-palestine