“Before We Are Erased” – publishing from Gaza during the genocide
JVL Introduction
The resilience of the Palestinians is phenomenal; the closest translation of their “sumud” is steadfastness but that does not completely encapture the special quality and determination of the Palestinian people in the face of decades of oppression. Their resilience must be further inspiration for us to act and to prioritise Palestinian voices not least because, as Rafeef Ziadah famously wrote after Israel’s “war” on Gaza in 2008/9, ‘We teach life, sir’.
Launching a new publishing house in Gaza during the genocide is truly inspiring sumud, At the moment books are being printed in Poland and Berlin but in due course in Gaza which cannot receive the books; however, they can access e-book versions.
So much, including publishing houses, was being destroyed, but Husam Maarouf writes “…this standstill did not mean humanity itself had ceased. The hourglass reminded us that humans are capable, even in the most difficult moments, of creating meaning. And that writing gives the fleeting moment a chance to endure, even when the world is unable to stop and listen.” This impetus to write as well as the importance of records and culture are to keep a people alive even while so many are being killed.
As he said in conversation with Akoya :
“Through Gaza Publications, we aim to gather Palestinian voices, publish their work and transform pain into narrative. In doing so, we hope to safeguard memory and affirm that culture in Gaza is not a luxury, but a necessity of existence. …We believe that cultural work is life itself, especially in the darkest of circumstances. During the war, it was crucial to maintain cultural life and creative production, even if it endangered our lives.”
I urge you to read this moving piece and the two interviews linked in this introduction; I failed to find a website for Gaza Publications, but books are being printed and can be ordered at least in Arabic, eg their first as mentioned here: The Man Who Turned Back – Han-Dal Lost
Furthermore, some extracts can be read in translation through ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY (That is a link to their powerful interview with Husam Maarouf on launching New Gaza Publications.)
If you can find the link, please add that in comments with our thanks
This article was originally published by Literary Hub on Fri 14 Aug 2026. Read the original here.
Before We Are Erased: Why I Founded Gaza Publications During the Genocide
“We were trapped within a single moment: always in danger, always waiting, and always struggling to survive.”
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So much of the best that human beings can ever be – as individuals and as a community – shines out from today’s Palestinians.
May they hold on to that spirit when their suffering ends and those who caused it are held to account. May they hold on to it during the difficult, perilous years when the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders first comes into being. May they heal as much as is possible from the horrors of the past.
I hope also they will be living next door to a very different Israel, making its amends for the past by becoming a peaceable neighbour and a genuinely democratic state for all its inhabitants and minorities.