A searing eyewitness account of life inside war-torn Gaza is to be published by UK independent Hurst Publishers. Entitled A Historian in Gaza it is by Jean-Pierre Filiu whose Gaza: A History won the Middle East Monitor Palestine Book Award and was named a Guardian book of the year.
The synopsis reads: “A Historian in Gaza is a rare act of witness from Jean-Pierre Filiu, the noted scholar of Gazan history…Filiu has returned regularly to Gaza for over four decades but in December 2024 he crossed the border at night as one of the few humanitarian personnel allowed into the enclave closed to the international press. He remained inside for 33 days, witnessing the devastation firsthand – and left determined to bear witness, as a historian, to what he had seen.”
Michael Dwyer, publisher and managing director at Hurst, acquired world English-language rights from Éditions Les Arènes. Translated by Cynthia Schoch and Trista Selous, the book will be published in November this year as a hardback.
The synopsis continues: “The result is an intimate, unflinching portrait of life under siege. Filiu writes in a lyrical yet frank tone, describing the harrowing daily struggles Gazans face: securing drinking water, moving between cities, finding food and seeking medical help. Part war reportage, part human testimony, his account makes the unbearable unavoidable.”
Filiu commented: “It felt both intellectually dishonest and emotionally unbearable to report on Gaza’s tragedy from afar. I knew I had to return and document it on the ground. I’m so glad this book will be published by the same publisher that brought out Gaza: A History.”
Dwyer said: “Jean-Pierre Filiu first went to Gaza in 1980, speaks the local dialect of Arabic and has an unparalleled range of contacts there. He’s long been one of the most insightful and humane chroniclers of the region. A Historian in Gaza is a heart-rending, essential act of witness – everyone should read it.”