A Historian in Gaza
Published on 27. November 2025
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-1-80526-525-2 (ISBN)
Description
Longlisted for the 2026 Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing
Selected as a 'Book of the Year' by the Guardian and Spectator
'The Gaza I knew, and whose length and breadth I've travelled, has ceased to exist.'
Jean-Pierre Filiu, acclaimed historian of Gaza, is intimately familiar with the land's people and places; he speaks the local dialect. But nothing prepared him for what he encountered there in December 2024. This is his unforgettable, unbearably intimate account of one month in a place shattered by Israel's all-out war.
When the historian returned to Gaza, he arrived under circumstances unimaginably different from his many past visits since 1980: only a limited number of convoys were allowed into the Strip, and he was one of the few humanitarians able to enter, this time by night. He remained inside for thirty-three days, and emerged determined to bear witness to the devastation-to the Gazans fighting simply to live, every single day.
Filiu's haunting portrait of a land betrayed is a grim work of war reportage, documented with the acuity of a historian; and a lyrical narrative of human suffering, and human dignity.
Selected as a 'Book of the Year' by the Guardian and Spectator
'The Gaza I knew, and whose length and breadth I've travelled, has ceased to exist.'
Jean-Pierre Filiu, acclaimed historian of Gaza, is intimately familiar with the land's people and places; he speaks the local dialect. But nothing prepared him for what he encountered there in December 2024. This is his unforgettable, unbearably intimate account of one month in a place shattered by Israel's all-out war.
When the historian returned to Gaza, he arrived under circumstances unimaginably different from his many past visits since 1980: only a limited number of convoys were allowed into the Strip, and he was one of the few humanitarians able to enter, this time by night. He remained inside for thirty-three days, and emerged determined to bear witness to the devastation-to the Gazans fighting simply to live, every single day.
Filiu's haunting portrait of a land betrayed is a grim work of war reportage, documented with the acuity of a historian; and a lyrical narrative of human suffering, and human dignity.
Reviews / Votes
'An unflinching eyewitness account of the destruction wreaked by Israel, with Anglo-American support. Look no further for an impartial account of the tragedy of the Palestinians, caught between Hamas's fanaticism and Netanyahu's ethnic cleansing.' * <b> Pratinav Anil, <i>Guardian</i>, 'Books of the Year'</b> * 'Jean-Pierre Filiu has just published a supplement to his wonderful history, Gaza, called A Historian in Gaza. His book counts as essential reading to understand what is happening in that most troubled and tragic region.' * <b>William Dalrymple, <i>Spectator</i> 'Books of the Year'</b> * 'A Historian in Gaza is itself a vital historical document as well as a moving account of the levelling of this ancient city... brilliant.' * <b><I>New Statesman</I></b> * '[A] searing new eyewitness account [and] a much-needed history lesson.' * <b><I>Jacobin</I></b> * 'This superb book is written by a historian who has experienced many wars and who has visited Gaza since 1980. Filiu writes, "the Gaza I'd known [had] ceased to exist". The shock and revulsion at what he witnessed there, where death now can come at any time, come through on every page. Written with empathy and deep knowledge of the place and its people, Filiu puts the reader right at the centre of Gaza's horrific reality. I was moved to the bone reading his account, which is like no other I've read on Gaza. Filiu concludes that "this is a world where giving up is disguised as 'realism'". Not so for the author of A Historian in Gaza.' -- * <b>Raja Shehadeh, Palestinian lawyer, human rights activist and author of <I>What Does Israel Fear from Palestine?</I></b> * 'Jean-Pierre Filiu is not just an authority on Gaza, he was there during the genocide. This is not an impassioned screed. A Historian in Gaza is a methodical, sober account of Israel's campaign to visit hell upon the people of Gaza and eliminate all aspects of its civil society. An important, essential book.' * <b>Joe Sacco, cartoonist, journalist, author of <i>Palestine, Footnotes in Gaza</i>, and <i>The Once and Future Riot</i></b> * 'Filiu, the pre-eminent historian of Gaza, tells a factual, and yet passionate, humane story of lives subjected to genocide. In each of the short chapters, Filiu records what happens in homes, families, on the street, in hospitals, in the media and elsewhere, providing a vivid account of unimaginable destruction and ruination while the world watches, and sometimes applauds. This book is an important history of the present of Gaza and its people that should be essential reading to all concerned with humanity and what it means to be human.' * <b>Dina Matar, Chair of the Centre for Global Media and Communications, SOAS University of London</b> * 'Never has the role of historian been more urgent. Filiu's courage, profound insight and first-hand experience make his book a singular contribution to our understanding of the Gaza genocide and its global impact.' * <b>Mark LeVine, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of California, Irvine, author of <I>We'll Play till We Die: Journeys Across a Decade of Revolutionary Music in the Muslim World</I></b> * 'From the viewpoint of its victims, Filiu documents how Israel's extermination machine progressed. He records Gazans' struggle to escape death at the cost of living as traumatised survivors. A must-read for those who stay committed to human rights and a better world.' * <b>Menachem Klein, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Bar-Ilan University, author of <I>Lives in Common: Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Hebron</I></b> *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 220 mm
Width: 143 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
388 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80526-525-2 (9781805265252)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Persons
Jean-Pierre Filiu is Professor of Middle East Studies at Sciences Po, and former visiting professor at Columbia and Georgetown Universities. His books include The Middle East: A Political History; and Guardian Book of the Year Gaza: A History (also published by Hurst), which won Middle East Monitor's Palestine Book Award.