Ruwaida Kamal Amer

Ruwaida Kamal Amer is a freelance journalist from Khan Younis.

Recent Articles

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and Albina Abu Safiya. (Courtesy of the family)

Albina Abu Safiya: ‘The Israeli army deliberately targeted my husband’

Following Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s arrest in northern Gaza, his wife describes her fears over the hospital director's fate and the tragedy of their son's killing.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer January 17, 2025

Palestinians celebrate the announcement on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, January 15, 2025.(Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

‘I pray to God it succeeds’: Fragile hope spreads in Gaza as ceasefire deal reached

After 15 months of devastation, Palestinians are anxiously awaiting the chance to reunite with loved ones and return to what remains of their homes.

By Ahmed Ahmed and Ruwaida Kamal Amer January 15, 2025

Yahya Al-Batran holds the body of his days-old son, who died from exposure in the family tent on the beach in Gaza, December 28, 2024. (Ruwaida Amer)

‘Every moment I fear losing another child’: Newborns freeze to death in Gaza tents

As displaced Palestinians endure a second winter in makeshift shelters, the death of at least six infants from exposure has sent parents into a panic.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer January 9, 2025

People react following Israel's attack on the compound of the Greek Orthodox St. Porphyrius Church in Gaza City, October 20, 2023. (Omar El-Qattaa)

Sheltering in churches, Gaza’s Christians face another Christmas under fire

After repeated Israeli attacks on Gaza's historic churches, displaced Palestinians are mourning loved ones and the joy of holidays past.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer December 24, 2024

Displaced Palestinians line up to receive a meal in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, November 29, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Gazans face extreme hunger as ‘real famine’ spreads from north to south

Israel’s siege of the north and ‘benevolence’ toward gangs looting aid trucks has led to severe food shortages and skyrocketing prices across Gaza.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer December 4, 2024

Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hussam Abu Safiya. (Courtesy)

‘I will stay inside my hospital until the last moment’

The Israeli army killed his son and arrested his colleagues in Kamal Adwan Hospital, but director Hussam Abu Safiya refuses to abandon his patients.

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer November 5, 2024

"Pioneers of Hope", an educational initiative in a displacement camp in Deir Al-Balah. (Ruwaida Amer)

For Gaza’s schoolchildren, another year of destruction, loss, and uncertainty

Makeshift schools in tent camps have served thousands of Palestinian children. But can they survive the approaching winter and Israel’s intensifying assaults?

By Ruwaida Kamal Amer and Ibtisam Mahdi October 24, 2024

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