Al Jazeera Selects

Palestinians: Stories of resistance

A mother protests, a teenager comes of age, and a cameraman records his final moments – life in occupied Palestine.

How to be a Palestinian Supermum 

Tamimi says that stress and fear can plague her for hours, sometimes days, on end. [Al Jazeera]
Tamimi says that stress and fear can plague her for hours, sometimes days, on end. [Al Jazeera]

Manal Tamimi has been going to the protests in Nabi Saleh of the occupied West Bank for as long as she can remember.

To her, to be a Palestinian parent is to be an activist. It’s impossible to separate the two roles.

Her resistance to the occupation is about a hope for a better future, if not during her lifetime, then for her children

Taking care of her children often involves protecting them from Israeli soldiers and settlers.

“Being a Palestinian mother means that you have to be a superwoman,” says Tamimi.

“An unbreakable person, which is impossible. But this is our life … to find hope in the middle of stress and depression.”

15 in Gaza

Shurooq Mousa's traditional Gaza Palestinian family hope she will embrace the niqab upon turning 15 - a societal expectation that does not convince her [Al Jazeera]
Shurooq Mousa’s traditional Gaza Palestinian family hope she will embrace the niqab upon turning 15 – a societal expectation that does not convince her [Al Jazeera]

Shurooq Mousa from Deir El-Balah, a few miles south of Gaza City, is about to turn 15 – and when she does so, her life will change.

Her family want her to consider wearing the niqab and, if she is going to study something, to study medicine.

“My mother told me that a girl has to take care of her house and become an efficient woman once she is mature,” says Mousa about what is expected of her. “Personally, I am not convinced by this. I think I have to succeed in my studies.” 

An insight into the complex negotiations that await Shurooq as she stands on the brink of adulthood.

Gaza: The Last Picture

A scene from the recording Hamad shot throughout his time with paramedics during Israeli assault on Shujayea [Al Jazeera]
A scene from the recording Hamad shot throughout his time with paramedics during Israeli assault on Shujayea [Al Jazeera]

Khaled Hamad was a Palestinian cameraman who joined paramedics to record the 2014 Israeli assault on Shujayea known as Operation Protective Edge.

Part of the footage included the final moments of Hamad’s own life during an attack on an area in which the paramedics and Hamad were seeking shelter.

Hamad’s camera continued to record after his death and through the body recovery mission as the victims were transported to hospital.