Ruwaida Kamal Amer

Ruwaida Kamal Amer is a freelance journalist from Khan Younis.

Recent Articles

The bodies of 88 unidentified Palestinians are buried in a mass grave in Khan Younis, after Israeli forces returned them to Gaza severely decomposed and without any identification, September 26, 2024. (Doaa Albaz/Activestills)

After a year of terror in Gaza, our souls feel suspended in time

I’ve cheated death, mourned friends, and lost my livelihood. Just when I was on the cusp of leaving this torment, Israel shut our last crossing to the world.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer October 5, 2024

Displaced Palestinians inspect the damage from an Israeli airstrike, in Al-Mawasi, September 10, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

‘People torn to pieces’ in Israeli airstrike on Gaza displacement camp

Israeli bombs set tents ablaze and left deep craters in the earth as the army attacked Al-Mawasi, a designated 'safe zone', for the fifth time.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer and Mahmoud Mushtaha September 12, 2024

Palestinians walk next to destroyed buildings and pools with stagnant water in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 19, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

‘The polio vaccine is effective, but delivering it requires a ceasefire’

With Palestinians in Gaza fearing a polio outbreak, health workers warn Israel’s ongoing military offensive will severely hamper efforts to counter it.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer August 27, 2024

A still from the short film 'Sorry Cinema' by Ahmed Hassouna, part of a film project produced by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi. (Courtesy of Rashid Masharawi)

‘Film was the best way to convey our art amid the suffering in Gaza’

Shunned by the Cannes Festival, Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi organized a protest screening of short films made by Gazans during the war.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer July 2, 2024

Palestinians run through Nuseirat following an Israeli attack on the camp, June 8, 2024. (Khaled Ali/Flash90)

‘How is it reasonable to kill over 200 for the sake of four?’

Relentless bombing, hospitals overflowing, soldiers in aid trucks: survivors recount the massacre in Nuseirat refugee camp during Israel’s hostage rescue.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer June 13, 2024

Palestinians are treated at Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, prior to its closure, February 1, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

‘We’re all at risk of being targeted’: Doctors evacuate Rafah’s last hospitals

Almost no facilities remain to treat the wounded in Gaza's southernmost city, as doctors fear a repeat of Israel's attacks on hospitals across the Strip.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer June 5, 2024

An Israeli tank seen near the Gaza border fence, March 26, 2024. [Chaim Goldberg/Flash90]

Cementing its military footprint, Israel is transforming Gaza’s geography

As Israel expands a buffer zone and erects army bases in the Strip, Palestinians fear the permanent loss of their homes and land.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer May 21, 2024

Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 7, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

‘The scenes of the Nakba are repeating’: Rafah in panic as Israeli invasion begins

With Israeli forces entering Gaza’s southernmost city, Palestinians describe their hardships and fears in the Strip’s last vanishing refuge.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer and Mahmoud Mushtaha May 8, 2024

Palestinians return to inspect their homes in Khan Younis after the Israeli army withdrew from the area, southern Gaza Strip, April 8, 2024. (Atia Mohammed/Flash90)

‘The colors and joy have disappeared’: Gazans return to decimated Khan Younis

After the withdrawal of Israeli troops, displaced Palestinians flooded back into the city to see what remained. Many were shocked by what they found.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer April 11, 2024

Palestinians at the site of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, March 18, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Six months of this cruel nightmare

Is the destruction in Gaza beyond repair? Will our friends try to start anew elsewhere? How will we get used to life without the places we love?

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer April 8, 2024