Ibtisam Mahdi

Ibtisam Mahdi

Ibtisam Mahdi is a freelance journalist from Gaza specializing in reporting about social issues, especially concerning women and children. She also works with feminist organizations in Gaza on reporting and communications.

Recent Articles
Palestinian children return to their home after it was destroyed by the Israeli army, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, November 1, 2025. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Gaza’s buildings are collapsing on top of us. But there’s nowhere else to shelter
Dozens have been crushed to death while Israel prevents reconstruction, leaving families with an impossible choice: to live in war-torn structures at risk of caving in, or flimsy tents exposed to the elements.
By Ibtisam Mahdi October 13, 2026
Palestinian football fans in Gaza City gather in the Al-Rimal area to watch the match between Egypt and Australia for a place in the round of 16 in the 2026 World Football Cup, 3 July 2026. (Omar Al-Qataa/Activestills)
‘They celebrate goals, we count martyrs’: Watching the World Cup in Gaza
Palestinians are defying Israeli bombings and power outages to follow soccer’s biggest tournament. But many fear the world has abandoned them.
By Ibtisam Mahdi July 8, 2026
Mohammed Qaddoura holds the wedding suit of his brother-in-law, Mohannad Ferwana, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike the night before his wedding, in Khan Younis, Gaza, June 5, 2026. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
In Gaza, ‘slaughter continues unabated’ while the world turns away
Israel has escalated its airstrikes across the enclave in recent weeks, burning Palestinians alive as it makes a mockery of the ‘ceasefire.’
By Ahmed Dremly and Ibtisam Mahdi June 16, 2026
Palestinian child suffering from skin infections and severe malnutrition receives treatment at Al-Nasser Hospital, Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, May 12, 2026. (Doaa Albaz/Activestills)
Rats, raw sewage, skin diseases: Israel’s siege is ravaging Gaza’s displaced
As Israel continues to restrict aid, Gaza’s shattered health system is struggling to treat and contain illnesses spreading through overcrowded tent camps.
By Ahmed Dremly and Ibtisam Mahdi May 29, 2026
A Palestinian man casts his ballot during local elections, on the outskirts of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, January 23, 2021. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
What’s at stake as Palestinians go to the polls for the first time in years
With local elections set to take place across the West Bank and one city in Gaza, residents are split as to the vote's legitimacy and potential for change.
By Shatha Yaish and Ibtisam Mahdi April 24, 2026
Funeral for three Palestinians killed by Israeli forces west of Gaza City, at Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, March 8, 2026. (Yousef Zaanoun/Activestills)
‘The war is between Israel and Iran. Why should people in Gaza pay the price?’
After closures of Gaza’s crossings drove up food costs and stalled medical evacuations, ongoing Israeli strikes raise fears of a renewed large-scale assault.
By Ahmed Dremly and Ibtisam Mahdi March 10, 2026
Family members and colleagues carry the bodies of Palestinian journalists killed in an Israeli strike as they arrive at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Jan. 21, 2026. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
With or without a ceasefire, Israel is still targeting Gaza’s journalists
The killing of my three colleagues shatters any illusion of ‘post-war’ safety. But the honor of their work and the memory of their laughter cannot be erased.
By Ibtisam Mahdi February 3, 2026
Attendees gather for the opening of the Gaza International Festival for Women's Cinema, Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, October 26, 2025. (Courtesy of the Gaza International Festival for Women's Cinema)
In a tent in central Gaza, a women’s film festival is born
Held over six days last week, the inaugural International Festival for Women's Cinema was ‘an affirmation that Gaza loves life despite the genocide.’
By Ibtisam Mahdi November 4, 2025
Palestinian prisoners released as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas arrive in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 13, 2025. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
‘We expected to die’: Freed Gazan detainees recount Israeli torture
Though overjoyed by their release in the ceasefire, Palestinians — blinded, beaten, and starved in Israeli jails — struggled to absorb unimaginable loss.
By Ibtisam Mahdi October 17, 2025
Palestinians rush to the site where parachuted aid packages land, in the Nuseirat area of the central Gaza Strip, August 8, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)
With chaotic airdrops, Israel’s engineered starvation of Gaza enters new phase
Israel has only allowed a trickle of aid to enter the enclave, as Gazans describe risking their lives for a sack of flour or moldy bread.
By Ibtisam Mahdi and Ahmed Dremly August 15, 2025
Most Read
  1. An Israeli professor plotted to massacre Palestinians. Social media rejoiced
  2. Why Israel’s election was a moment of Palestinian unity
  3. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  4. Palestinian Bedouin women in Israel are leading a quiet revolution
  5. In Gaza, the specter of famine is returning
  1. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  2. An Israeli professor plotted to massacre Palestinians. Social media rejoiced
  3. Palestinian citizens are the big winners of Israel’s election. It doesn’t matter
  4. The permanence of ‘NAZA’
  5. To oust Netanyahu, Israel’s opposition needs to learn this lesson from him
  1. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  2. Debunking Israel’s latest list of ‘terrorist’ journalists in Gaza
  3. Why ‘NAZA’ terrifies Israel's liberal elite
  4. 50 shades of right: An Israeli election primer
  5. ‘There are no dreams here’: How Israel’s outgoing gov't remade the West Bank