Palestinian Culture
by Anera
Sep 1, 2026
Palestinians enjoy a rich cultural heritage. The Palestinian people have lived through enormous upheaval over the course of the last century. Many Palestinians have been dispersed and displaced from their family homes, villages and cities, making Palestinian culture and traditions even more important for holding this community together. Whether in ancestral towns or in refugee…
Read MoreThe Home We Built but Never Lived In
Jun 15, 2026
Before the war in Gaza, the paintings waited for a home. They are still stacked quietly in a corner of my parents’ house, wrapped in plastic, untouched by dust or sunlight. I bought them during my engagement, imagining the walls they would hang on in the apartment my husband and I spent months preparing together….
Read MoreFrom Pallet to Purpose: If Wood Could Speak
by Anera
Jul 8, 2025
I arrived in Gaza in pieces – slats once tasked with carrying medicines, food and aid across borders and through a blockade. I bore the weight of life-saving cargo, stiff from the strain of movement; ships groaned beneath me, trucks jostled me over pockmarked roads, planes carried me across continents. Then, for weeks, I was…
Read MoreThe Silent Crisis
by Anera
Apr 23, 2025
Mental Health and Economic Hardship in Lebanon The aftermath of the war in Lebanon and the continued Israeli strikes, compounded by years of political instability and economic collapse, has taken a devastating toll on its people, particularly its youth. The effects go far beyond financial struggles — mental health has emerged as an urgent issue,…
Read MoreWhat Life is Like in Bethlehem
Dec 23, 2024
I’m from Bethlehem, Palestine. This is my home. My family has been rooted here for generations. I have spent my entire life in this city—47 years born and raised. I’ve been with Anera since 1999, marking 25 years as of last month. I hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and a master’s in…
Read MoreCelebrating Life in Gaza: Happy Birthday, Hayat!
Dec 13, 2024
Today marks one year since you entered this world. Your name, Hayat, means “life,” but this first year has been anything but. It’s been a year of grinding displacement, hunger, and struggle. We’ve moved back and forth between Deir Al Balah and Rafah, never knowing where we’ll end up next. The only refuge I can…
Read MorePregnant in a War Zone: My Journey of Love, Fear, and Survival
Dec 10, 2024
We are pleased to welcome Tahani as Anera’s new communications officer in Gaza. She wrote this piece last month, prior to joining Anera, and has since given birth to a healthy baby boy. I am nine months pregnant, in Gaza, under the relentless strain of Israeli warfare. Every morning, I rise with the weight of…
Read MoreObserving Nakba Day
by Anera
May 15, 2024
For Palestinians around the world, May 15th marks the “Nakba” (literally “disaster” or “catastrophe” in Arabic) which commemorates the 1948 Palestinian exodus during the establishment of the State of Israel. Nakba Day 2022 For Palestinians around the world, May 15th marks the “Nakba” (literally “disaster” or “catastrophe” in Arabic) which commemorates the 1948 Palestinian exodus…
Read MoreReviving the Tradition of Community Kitchens in Gaza
by Anera
Feb 2, 2024
Anera is delivering food to displaced, hungry families in Gaza through community kitchens we’re calling tekia (takiyya, tkiya), based on a beautifully simple concept that began almost 10 centuries ago. Historians differ on the exact the word to describe these kitchens – tekia, ‘imaret, aqhane or darü’z-ziyafe – but what we know for sure is…
Read MoreA Primer on Gaza
by Anera
Jan 11, 2024
The Gaza Strip is a 25-mile long stretch of coastal land (141 square miles, 365 square kilometers) that is home to a growing population of more than two million people. For such a small place, Gaza has a name everyone recognizes around the globe, but few really understand its history, culture and overall situation. Early…
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