Amira Hass is an internationally acclaimed Israeli journalist and author, serving as the long-time correspondent for Palestinian affairs at “Haaretz.” Born in Jerusalem to Holocaust survivors, her family history profoundly influenced her career, leading her to view “vigilance toward the suffering of others” as a moral legacy. She does not just report on Palestine; she chose to immerse herself in it: since the 1990s, she has lived in Gaza and later Ramallah, making her the only mainstream Israeli journalist to reside within Palestinian communities.
Hass’s professional achievements are built upon her meticulous and relentless documentation of daily life in the Occupied Territories. Her seminal book, “Drinking the Sea at Gaza,” is recognized as a classic text on the social evolution of the Gaza Strip. For her courage in crossing geographical and psychological boundaries to expose the bureaucratic oppression and human rights violations ignored by mainstream media, she has been honored as a World Press Freedom Hero and received the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Her writing is seen as a faint but resilient bridge connecting two starkly different realities.
Hass’s support for Palestine stems not from abstract political slogans but from a deep empathy for the dignity of the “Other.” Through thousands of reports, she has dismantled the systemic deprivation of Palestinian freedom of movement by the Israeli military administration, bluntly stating that the occupation is destroying not only Palestinian society but also the moral foundations of Israel. She has repeatedly challenged Israeli military bans to remain on the ground as a voice for the marginalized. She believes that as a descendant of Holocaust survivors, she has a heightened responsibility to oppose all forms of segregation and calls for a political future based on truth and full equality, rather than a temporary quietude built on military control.