March 19, 2024, 10:30am

“Gaza’s night is dark apart from the glow of rockets, quiet apart from the sound of the bombs, terrifying apart from the comfort of prayer, black apart from the light of the martyrs. Good night, Gaza.”

–Heba Abu Nada’s final tweet, written in Arabic on October 8

It’s now been five months since poet, novelist, and educator Heba Abu Nada, a beloved figure in the Palestinian literary community and the author of Oxygen is Not for the Dead, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Southern Gaza on October 20.

Since that horrific day (which her sister, Somaia Abunada, chronicled so movingly in a piece for Middle East Eye), Heba’s words have been translated and shared with millions of people around the world. As the war on Gaza rages on, with no real end in sight, Heba has become of symbol of creativity, humanity, and defiance in the face of brutality and oppression.

Sadly, the surviving members of Heba’s family remain trapped in Gaza. Like so many desperate Gazans, their only way out of Rafah is to pay the exorbitant “coordination” fees for travel permits, which are far in excess of what most people can afford.

If you can, please consider donating to this verified GoFundMe page, set up by a friend of Somaia Abunada on her behalf.

Heba’s writing has given so many people hope in these incomprehensibly dark times. We can honor her memory by sharing her work, and by trying to help her grieving, injured family find some safety and peace.