“We are a people who love life.”
That is Ghazal Hussam Abu Dalal’s message to the world.
In Episode 9 of Women of Resistance, host Sakina Datoo presents the story of a young creative from Gaza—whose life has been defined not only by her work in design and photography, but by the devastation of war, the weight of trauma, and the unrelenting struggle to simply stay alive.
Ghazal, like so many in Gaza, was born into conflict. Her earliest memories include the loss of her uncle in 2004—an event that etched sorrow into a childhood otherwise filled with warmth, family, and dreams of opportunity.
From a young age, she pursued excellence in her studies and later specialised in graphic design, a field she hoped would give her access to the world beyond the siege.
But after October 7, everything changed.
“We left our home under bullets,” she says. “At any moment, we might have died.”
The office she worked at was destroyed. There was no power, no water, and food became impossibly expensive. She tells of days spent scavenging for basics, nights interrupted by explosions, and the heartbreak of hearing about the death of 30 relatives in a single airstrike on her neighbourhood.
Despite all this, Ghazal found strength in service. She began volunteering with children—drawing smiles on their faces through art and play, even as her own heart remained heavy.
“Seeing them laugh was the greatest happiness,” she says.
In the studio, nurse and holistic life coach Farzana Karawalli joins Sakina to explore the psychological toll of such trauma.
“Ghazal isn’t just surviving,” she says, “she’s living a legacy—for her people, her family, and those who didn’t make it.”
The episode is not only a portrait of one woman’s endurance but a mirror held up to the world’s conscience.
“We’re grateful for the protests,” Ghazal says. “But please—don’t stop speaking about us.”
Because, as she reminds us, Palestinians are not defined by their suffering. They are defined by their love of life, their commitment to family, and their refusal to let the bombs dictate who they become.
“We don’t want to die,” she says. “We want to live—with dignity, with dreams, with freedom.”
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