We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza's Youth

Ahmed Alnaouq grew up in Gaza where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from al-Azher University. Ahmed was the inspiration for, and original project manager of, We Are Not Numbers. He later won the UK’s prestigious Chevening scholarship and earned a master’s degree in international journalism from Leeds University. He also serves as advocacy and outreach officer for the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. Ahmed’s writings have been published by the Gulf News, New Arab, and other websites. He is currently based in London.

Ali Abusheikh is a proud Canaanite Palestinian communications and public relations professional based in Doha, Qatar. He holds a Master’s degree in Digital Humanities and Societies from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

After graduating, Ali returned to Gaza to visit his family, but in October 2023 he was caught in the genocide that unfolded there. Just before the border closed in the summer of 2024, he managed to return to Qatar. An escape that only deepened his commitment to sharing Palestine’s untold stories.

A dreamer and avid tea-and-book lover, Ali is passionate about using writing and public speaking to highlight the resilience, culture, and beauty of Palestinian life, so often overlooked in global narratives. Beyond his work, he enjoys drama, music, and languages; in addition to Arabic and English, he has some knowledge of Turkish, French, and Hebrew. His greatest hope is to one day reunite with his mother — whether outside Gaza or in a safer, rebuilt, and more just Gaza.

Anas Jnena is a Palestinian writer, educator, and researcher specializing in Middle Eastern geopolitics and international development. He holds a degree in English Literature from Al-Azhar University in Gaza and is currently pursuing a Master’s in International Relations and World Order at the University of Leicester. Based in Kuwait, Jnena works as a teacher with the Ministry of Education, where he combines his academic expertise with his commitment to youth empowerment and cross-cultural understanding.

His perspective is deeply shaped by lived experience, having lost his father in the ongoing war on Gaza. A reality that strengthens his resolve to advocate for justice and humanitarian policy. He has contributed to We Are Not Numbers, Truthout, Mondoweiss, Aljazeera English and collaborated with California-based Rebuilding Alliance as a project manager and interpreter in U.S. congressional briefings. He has also participated in policy delegations in Washington, D.C. and New York, presenting on Gaza’s humanitarian and trade realities. His current research focuses on international development, with particular attention to humanitarian policy, education, and post-conflict reconstruction.

Alaa Mahdi Kudaih is a Gazan photographer and content creator. In 2018, she won a full scholarship from the Turkish government to study psychological counseling and guidance, and she graduated from Sakarya University in 2023. She recently moved to Belgium.

Alaa is a founder of “Dmma Therapy,” which aims to share and publish information that promotes awareness about mental health. She conducts psychological counseling sessions in Turkish, English, and Arabic, both face to face and online. She likes to quote Gandhi: “Be the change that you want to see in the world,” and believes that mental health is essential for anyone who wants to change the world.

Eman Alhaj Ali is a Palestinian freelance journalist, writer, translator, and storyteller who was forced to evacuate Gaza in April 2025. She is currently based in Ireland doing her Masters in Philosophy of Applied Linguistics. Her writings have appeared on a variety of international and local websites, such as the New Arab, the Electronic Intifada, Al Jazeera English, the Nation, Mondoweiss, the Middle East Eye and many others. She is a member of We Are Not Numbers. She is the author of her zine ”the Mirror of Memory: What remains and what must be remembered.” She  contributed to a variety of books and anthologies, such as “We Were Seeds” and “We Are Not Numbers”. Writing and reading are her passions.