Why I put myself in danger to tell the stories of Gaza

Hello, this is my first trip,

first time in life I'm outside
of the walls of Gaza.

I'm so happy to be here.

(Applause)

My ambition always was
to be a pilot, to fly a plane,

to feel free to fly the sky,
to touch the sky.

But that didn't happen.

Simply, I live in Gaza,
there is no airport.

All borders are closed
on every side.

We live in one of the biggest
prisons in the world.

The only thing I can do is just
to look up to the sky.

On some days, we are lucky
if we have electricity

for four or five hours.

When it's cold, we make a fire
on the front, or on the roof of our homes.

Sometimes we make food, too.

My job in Gaza is to arrange everything
to journalists who come to my homeland

to tell the stories about what's
going on in Gaza.

Many mornings, I had to go
to the border area

to collect a journalist.

If anything should happen
to the journalist,

or if the journalist decides
to cover a story

the government doesn't want us
to cover,

bad things could happen.

Navigating through my country
helping journalists,

filmmakers, news crews is my
working life.

I believe my success comes
from building a relationship,

not only with journalists
and the news crews,

but also with the communities
in the Gaza Strip.

These communities
who don't want their stories

to be told,

I never looked to them as stories
or numbers,

but like me, they are human beings.

I have build up many relationship
over 10 years.

And guess what?

This gives me the chance
to get access to people,

to stories, others can't

In some certain situation,

I feel as a woman, I have
more power.

Many male journalists
in my society,

they want to cover a story about
drug addiction in my country.

That problem started when the
Gaza tunnel was being built.

With the sieze on Gaza,

the tunnel brought people
all the basic needs

like food, building material,
other stuff we needed.

But not anymore because
the Egyptian side

flooded them up with water

and they are not working anymore.

Drugs were being smuggled

and many young people
got addicted too.

In the tradition of the
Palestinian society,

it's forbidden for men
to enter the household.

So, no men journalists
get the story.

But I did.

I have a wonderful husband
who supports me,

despite all the criticism
gets from the society.

He's at home now
with my two kids

and I hve another one
that's growing in here.

(Applause)

When I'm working,
I call him each two hours

and he knows if he doesn't
hear from me,

he should call my contact,

the one who give the acces
to the story,

which is the one who I trust.

One of the times in Gaza,

during the kidnapping
of the British journalist Alan Johnston,

I was asked by an American magazine
to set up a meeting

with the kidnappers in Gaza,
and I did.

The journalist covering
the story and I

were asked to meet outside
of his hotel.

They came, they picked up
in a black van with black windows,

they were wearing masks
on that day,

and they drove us away,
far away in the middle of a field.

They took our cell phones

and we did the interview with
the kidnapper outside in that field.

I was so scared that day,

a day I will never forgot.

So, why I do what I do?

I do it because I believe
if I didn't,

a huge part of the story
about Gaza will be missing.

There are some more stories
I could tel you about my conutry.

And not all of them are bad.

I love my country, despite
the terrible situation we live in.

Siege, poverty, unemployment,

but there life.

There are people who are dreamers
and amazing people full of energy.

We have a wonderful music
and a great music school,

We have parkour dancers
who dance in the rubble of their homes.

And Gaza is the only place
in the Arab world

where Muslims and Christians
live in strong brotherhood.

(Applause)

During the time of war,

the hardest part for me
is leaving the house

early in the morning
leaving my children.

I get used to taking a picture
for them everyday

because I never know if I will
make it back for them.

Being a fixer and a journalist
is difficult and dangerous in Gaza.

But when I hear the sound
of the shelling or the sound of the bombing,

I just head straight toward this
because I want to be there first

because these stories should be told.

When my children were small
and we hear the sound of the war,

I got used to telling them that
they were fireworks,

now they are older,
they understand.

I do have terrible nightmares

because of all that I witnessed
during war times,

especially these lifeless bodies
of young children.

I still remember a little girl,
her name is ?

She's the only survivor from her family.

Her picture will be with me
forever.

I will never forgot her.

I'm proud that I can stand here
and be with you.

I'm proud that I can tell you
stories, sad and happy,

about my small corner of the world,
Gaza.

I'm proud that I am the first female fixer
working in Gaza,

and the funny thing,
they call me Mr. Rambo (?), in Gaza

(Laughter)

I hope one day, i will get the chance
to tell the stories of all other women,

all other amazing women
I know in my country.

I hope that one day, I can
help other women in my country

to be fixers like me.

And of course sometimes,
I feel I can't do this work anymore,

it's just too much for me.

But I remember these words,

"Don't limit your challenge,
but challenge your limit.

Don't allow others to stand
in front of your dreams."

Thank you.

(Applause)