Duha Hassan Al Shaqaqi is Illuminated Cities’ 2024 inaugural Poetry of the Camps-Gaza Fellow. Duha is now part of the Illuminated Cities program team, and her poem was featured in the 2025 Harvard Divinity School commencement speech.

Duha is a Palestinian writer, student, and storyteller who finds power in words, resilience in education, and purpose in advocacy.

Raised in Gaza, she has experienced firsthand the challenges of war, displacement, and interrupted education — but also the strength of community, the value of knowledge, and the hope that creativity brings.

With a background in English literature and a passion for humanitarian work, Duha writes about survival, identity, and the silent strength found in everyday moments. She has worked as a social worker during wartime and continues to pursue global education opportunities to amplify her voice and the voices of others.

“Gazans are just like everyone in the room, humans, they deserve a good life. And anyone can easily be in their shoes but will not react like them,” she recently said. “The only way people differ from each other is their reaction towards what’s going on in their lives. Gazans did not forget their belief and trust in Allah. They fought for a greater cause bravely despite the shortage of everything. They understand the true essence of life.”