Bisan Owda (
Arabic: بيسان عودة; born 1997 or 1998) is a Palestinian journalist, activist, and filmmaker.[1] She is best known for her social media videos documenting her experiences during the
Israel–Hamas war in the
Gaza Strip.[2]
Early life
Owda grew up in
Beit Hanoun.[3] She was interested in storytelling from a young age, as well as reading, basketball, and astronomy.[4]
Career
Owda has worked with the United Nations on gender equality,[5] as a member of
UN Women's Youth Gender Innovation Agora Forum.[5] Owda has also worked with the European Union on climate change,[1][6] and is an EU Goodwill Ambassador.[4]
Owda garnered attention for her semi-regular video and livestream updates on social media documenting Palestinian civilians' experiences during the
2023 Israel-Hamas war, known for opening with some variation of the phrase, "I'm still alive".[10] As of 15 October 2023, Owda had accumulated over 180,000 followers on
Instagram.[1] By 20 November, she had 2 million followers, and by 5 December, she had accumulated over 3 million followers.[11] Owda's videos and reports have been shared by the likes of
ABC News,[12][13]Al Jazeera,[14] the
BBC,[1]Le Monde,[15]CBS News,[16] and Democracy Now!.[17]
Personal life
After the
IDF told Gaza residents to
evacuate, Owda and her parents relocated from
Beit Hanoun to
Al-Shifa Hospital.[3] Her family's home and her office in
Rimal were both bombed, destroying all of Owda's filming equipment.[3]