Edited by Ahmed Alnaouq and Pam Bailey
Hardcover, 343 pages, US$25
Published by Olive Branch Press, an imprint of Interlink Publishing, September 2025
Available from the publisher at www.interlinkbooks.com, www.amazon.com, and in Jerusalem from the Educational Bookshop.
A teenage girl stares at her roof, hoping it won’t collapse over her head. A young student searches the internet for photos of libraries around the world, hoping he’ll be able to visit them one day. Another walks around the city taking notes of all the buildings she dreams of repairing.
These are the stories of young people from Gaza, born under Israeli occupation and blockade. They are people who have endured unspeakable struggles and losses, who keep fighting to be recognized not as numbers, but as human beings with hopes, dreams, and lives worth living.
We Are Not Numbers was founded in 2014 to give voice to the youth of Gaza. In this collection – vital, urgent, and full of heart, spanning over ten years to the present moment – we gain an unparalleled insight into the past, as well as the current and next generation of Palestinian leaders, artists, scientists, and scholars and imagine where we might go from here.
Ahmed, the co-editor of this collection was the inspiration for, and original project manager of, We Are Not Numbers. He grew up in Gaza, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Al-Azhar University. He then won the UK’s prestigious Chevening scholarship and earned a master’s degree in international journalism from Leeds University. Ahmed also serves as advocacy and outreach officer for the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, and his writings have been published by Gulf News, New Arab, and other websites. He is currently based in London.
Pam Bailey is a freelance journalist and social-justice activist. She lived and worked in the Gaza Strip immediately following the 2008/9 Israeli assault. Today, she is a communications consultant and writer/editor for nonprofits such as ImpACT International for Human Rights Policies. She has also founded More Than Our Crimes, a nonprofit initiative focused on assuring second chances for individuals convicted of violent crimes in the United States. She is based in Washington, DC.
Praise for We Are Not Numbers
Ta-Nehisi Coates called this book “Essential . . . A project that insists on liberation.”
Mohammed el-Kurd praised it “A rebellion against the singular story. An insightful, multifaceted glimpse into the besieged Gaza Strip, where millions of people continue to confront a genocide waged by an Israeli regime.” And Naomi Klein commented, “With lovingly crafted words and stories, the authors in We Are Not Numbers open portals in Israel’s apartheid wall, inviting readers into the impossible realities of life under siege in Gaza. The collective commitment to doing whatever it takes to produce this extraordinary symphony of testimony is evident on every page. This book is a jailbreak – and a miracle.” Moataz Azaiza, the award-winning Palestinian photojournalist from Gaza explained, “We Are Not Numbers is not just a book – it’s my life, their life, and our shared story. I know some of these brave writers; I’ve walked the same streets, felt the same fear, and shared the same dreams under Gaza’s skies. These pages carry the truth of our struggle and the beauty of our humanity. This is Gaza as it truly is, written by those who live it every day.” And Kamila Shamsie wrote, “Picking up this book may seem hard because of the subject matter; putting it down is even harder. The voices of Gaza’s young writers are so moving and varied and astonishing. You’ll carry We Are Not Numbers in your heart for a very long time.”
