On 19 December 2025, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), in collaboration with Al Arab in UK (AUK), hosted ‘Young Women’s Voices from Gaza: Live Testimonies’ at SOAS, featuring young Palestinian women from Gaza who arrived in the UK as students. Most arrived as part of the Gaza Students cohort, who arrived in the UK in Autumn 2025 following campaigning from organisations including ICJP.
The event provided a platform to hear firsthand accounts of their lives growing up under siege and more than two years of genocide, amid media silence, and conveying experiences of displacement, loss, griefand horror.
The speakers included Saga Hamdan, Hala Shoman, Dana Hamdan, Etaf Abuhadda, and Soha Abueid and another young women, who spoke about their experiences in Gaza and coming to the UK. ICJP’s Dania Abul Haj also spoke, giving a legal perspective, and the event was presented by Zeinab Kamal. The event took place at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in Central London.
The testimonies were deeply moving, giving attendees direct insight into the challenges faced by the young women. Despite losing homes, enduring grief, and navigating unimaginable hardships in their journey to the UK, the speakers demonstrated extraordinary strength, resilience, and tenacity. Their stories reflected not only the trauma they have endured, but also the courage and determination to pursue higher education through scholarships, portraying acts of unbelievable resistance and survival, despite Israel’s genocide against them and their people.
The event created a reflective space for attendees to engage with these voices, fostering a deeper understanding of the human impact of the genocide beyond the statistics. Discussions explored the importance of international solidarity, amplifying Palestinian voices, and ensuring that young women’s experiences are centred. Attendees were encouraged to consider how they could support initiatives that uplift Palestinian voices and advocate for justice.
Dania Abul Haj, Senior Legal Officer at ICJP spoke about the legal work being carried out by ICJP and civil society to bring about justice and accountability for Palestinians, explaining that while legal processes can often be lengthy and complex, it is vital to pursue them in order to hold perpetrators to account and support long-term solutions.
She also spoke of the privilege of sharing the stage with other young Palestinian women and she pointed out that Israel’s system of apartheid would have prevented a Palestinian Jerusalemite like her from being in the same room as the Palestinian women from Gaza that she shared the stage with.
The event reinforced the urgent need for collective action and sustained solidarity with Palestinians. The testimonies highlighted not only the scale of loss and injustice faced by these young women, but also their remarkable courage, dignity, and determination to continue pursuing education. By sharing their lived experiences directly, the speakers provided a powerful reminder of the resilience of Palestinian women in the face of dehumanisation by complicit governments and the press.
