Bisan Owda
بيسان عودة
Born1997-1998 (age: 25-26)
OccupationFilmmaker
Employer United Nations Population Fund
Known forDocumenting the Gaza–Israel conflict on social media

Bisan Owda (Arabic: بيسان عودة; born 1997 or 1998) is a Palestinian filmmaker[1] best known for her social media videos documenting the 2023 Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.[2]

Career

Owda has worked with the United Nations on gender equality,[3] as a member of UN Women’s Youth Gender Innovation Agora Forum.[3] Owda has also worked with the European Union on climate change,[1][4] and is an EU Goodwill Ambassador.[5]

Owda has produced a show, Hakawatia, which is aired by Roya TV.[3][5] Owda works for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).[6][7]

Online presence

As of October 15, 2023, Owda had accumulated over 180,000 followers on Instagram.[1] By November 20, 2023, she had 2 million followers, and by December 5th, 2023 she had accumulated over 3 million followers. [8] Owda's videos of Palestinian civilians' experience during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war have been shared by ABC News,[9][10] Al Jazeera,[11] the BBC,[1] and Le Monde.[12]

On November 2, 2023, The Jerusalem Post accused Owda of being a member of Hamas' propaganda team. In regards to the October 7 massacres, she said "For every action, there is a reaction. This means: What was expected after 75 years of occupation and 17 years of siege?", and presented disinformation about the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion; she alleged that 800 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on the hospital, when the emerging consensus is that between two and three hundred people died when a rocket launched from inside the strip fell short.[13]

In the beginning of December, Owda posted that she was ill with a viral infection and that she "no longer [has] any hope of survival".[14]

Personal life

After the IDF told Gaza residents to evacuate, Owda and her parents relocated from Beit Hanoun to Al-Shifa Hospital.[15] Her family's home and her office in Rimal were both bombed, destroying all of Owda's filming equipment.[15]

Owda witnessed the Al-Shifa ambulance airstrike on November 3, 2023.[16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jon, Donnison (2023-10-15). "One week in Gaza: 'There are no safe places here'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  2. ↑ Saab, Sheren Falah (29 November 2023). "'This Is Bisan. I'm Still Alive': The Gazans Reporting From the Ground on Social Media". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  3. 1 2 3 "In the Words of Bisan Owda "Content Creation is an Effective Tool to Advance Gender Equality in Palestine"". UN Women – Palestine Country Office. 2023-08-28. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  4. ↑ "No Water No Life". EU Neighbours. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  5. 1 2 "Bisan Owda". EU Neighbours. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  6. ↑ Blanco, Patricia R. (2023-11-03). "Pregnant women in Gaza in dire straits with no food, water or anesthesia for Cesareans". EL PAÍS English. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  7. ↑ Yee, Vivian (2023-10-28). "Israel Says Al Shifa Hospital Conceals Hamas Underground Command Centers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  8. ↑ Arafat, Zaina (2023-11-20). "Witnessing Gaza Through My Instagram Feed". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  9. ↑ "Video Seeing the war from the ground in Gaza". ABC News. October 19, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  10. ↑ "Video Palestinian filmmaker, influencer talks about the difficulties of life inside Gaza". ABC News. October 30, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  11. ↑ Najjar, Farah; Stepansky, Joseph (November 3, 2023). "Israel-Hamas war updates: Israeli strike hits Gaza medical convoy". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  12. ↑ Rémy, Jean-Philippe; Zerrouky, Madjid (2023-11-06). "Israeli army intensifies strikes on Gaza, plunging civilians into horror and hunger". Le Monde.fr. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  13. ↑ Jaffe-Hoffman, Maayan (2023-11-02). "Exposed: Hamas's propaganda team". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  14. ↑ "Gaza journalists Motaz Azaiza, Bisan decry world's apathy". The New Arab. 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  15. 1 2 Paccalin, Claire (2023-10-24). "'Not sure I'm lucky to be alive': Gazans fear worse is to come as public health 'catastrophe' looms". France 24. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  16. ↑ "Red Crescent says 15 killed in strike on Gaza ambulance outside Al-Shifa hospital". BBC News. 2023-11-03. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
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