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Gaza teen's tweets tell of everyday survival in

a warzone
A Palestinian teenager has been propelled to newfound fame by live-tweeting events in the
Gaza Strip. Farah Baker says she wants to tell the world the truth about the ongoing
fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Date 13.08.2014
Author Andrea Nierhoff
Keywords Gaza, Israel, Hamas,
blogger, Twitter, Farah_Gazan
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Lufthansa offers victims'

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Lufthansa, the parent company of
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In the midst of a warzone, 16-year-old Farah Baker's weapon is her mobile phone. The teenager, who
tweets under the handle @Farah_Gazan has shot to fame with her candid tweets and real-time
videos of the current fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Baker says she turned to social media because she wanted to make a difference in an often seemingly
futile situation.
"I started tweeting the war because I couldn't stand watching innocent people getting killed, and I can
help by showing the world exactly what happens in Gaza," she says.
She says while Western media shows a bias toward Israel, she is also heartened by the sheer amount
of coverage they have given to the current unrest in the 360-square-kilometer strip of land.
"I didn't expect the media could care that much about what happens in Gaza. I have been through
two previous wars when I was younger, so I didn't expect that they could care this much."

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Ukrainian oligarchs' private

armies flex their muscles
The drama began with a seemingly
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Guess What

Follow

@Farah_Gazan

The first thing I do every morning to smile is checking my twitter

notifications thank you all
4:53 AM - 12 Aug 2014
317 RETWEETS 1,026 FAVO RITES

The drama began with a seemingly

bland piece of legislation on
corporate law, then Ukraine's
parliament passed a law to strip a
prominent billionaire of control of
a state company. Then armed men
arrived.

Argentina President Kirchner

cleared of Iran cover-up

'I could die at any moment'

The teenager began tweeting and blogging in 2012, and since then has amassed more than 193,000
followers on Twitter. Almost 30,000 of these have been in the last three days alone. Baker, who tweets
largely in English, says she is astounded by the sudden surge in her popularity, with most of the
recognition coming from the international community.
"I knew that I would become famous a little bit but not this much."

An appeals court has upheld a

former ruling dismissing a case
against President Cristina Kirchner
and her aides. They have now been
cleared of covering up Iran's
alleged involvement in a 1994
terrorist attack.
N E W S

"Many people told me that they didn't know that this was happening in Gaza," she says. "So I am
happy because I can show them the truth."

Human remains recovered

from Germanwings crash
site

In between videos of flares lighting up Gaza's skies and sometimes graphic pictures of the aftermath of
a bomb explosion are the more conventional thoughts typical of a 16-year-old. One photo shows the
blue-eyed teen smiling into the camera, showing off her newly straightened hair.

Facebook's vanishing
memorial to Germanwings
co-pilot Andreas Lubitz

But mundane moments such as these can be quickly forgotten, as on the night of July 29 which Baker
describes as her most terrifying moment so far.

Graffiti art exhibition

"They were bombing in my area and the power was cut off so the only light we could see was flares.
The only sounds we could hear were ambulances and people shouting, fire engines, bombs and rockets
falling. The bombs were so heavy that I thought I could die at any moment," she says.

Germany approves
contentious road toll
F A C E B O O K

Her tweet "This is in my area. I can't stop crying. I might die tonight" was retweeted more than
17,000 times around the world.

Guess What

Follow

@Farah_Gazan

I miss the sea, I miss my friends, I miss ice cream, I miss happiness
and joy. I MISS MY ORDINARY LIFE #GazaUnderAttack
7:05 PM - 3 Aug 2014
3,738 RETWEETS 2,265 FAVO RITES

Hope for peace

With less than eight hours left until an Egypt-brokered temporary ceasefire expires, Baker says she is
unsure what will happen next to the place she calls her home. Especially, she says, as she has already
heard evidence the fighting has started up again.
"They (Israel) bombed in the early morning. I was sleeping when it suddenly woke me up; it was
horrible for me to hear. I was so angry because they broke the ceasefire and told many people that
Hamas broke the ceasefire first, but they didn't."
"Israel doesn't want us to live in peace," she says. "(But) I think that if Arab countries and many other
countries try to help yes, we might reach a solution, why not?"

Learning by Ear
M O R E

F R O M

T H E

Europe

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Africa
Asia

Final day of Gaza cease-fire talks in Cairo

Negotiators in Cairo are scrambling to strike a deal between Israel and Hamas as the deadline of a 72-hour truce
in Gaza looms. Without a deal, both sides could accept an extension or risk the resumption of fighting.
(13.08.2014)

Americas
Middle East

Talks aimed at reaching a more permanent truce in Gaza to continue

A 72-hour truce between Israel and the Islamist militant group Hamas appeared to be holding as it entered its
second day. More talks were scheduled aimed at reaching a longer lasting ceasefire. (12.08.2014)

O P I N I O N

DW's "netiquette policy" Rules for feedback and

The eruption of violence between Israel and Palestinians has moved so rapidly it has been hard to keep up - from
discussions
Hebron in the West Bank to East Jerusalem to Gaza. Kate Shuttleworth went back to where it all began.
Violence and boycotts in the West Bank

DW offers its readers the

opportunity to engage in a
discussion on dw.de and other
platforms. In order not to offend
any users, it's important to
maintain a respectful dialogue.
Please adhere to these guidelines.

(11.08.2014)
W W W

L I N K S

@Farah_Gazan

Date 13.08.2014
Author Andrea Nierhoff
Keywords Gaza, Israel, Hamas, blogger, Twitter, Farah_Gazan
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R E L A T E D

C O N T E N T

Netanyahu backs off

Palestine statement, Arab
warning 19.03.2015

Gazans feel trapped, six

months after Israel-Hamas
war 03.03.2015

Benjamin Netanyahu says the

Palestinian Authority should cut
out Gaza Strip rulers Hamas and
engage Israel in "genuine" peace
talks. The prime minister has
begun laying the groundwork for
forming his next government.

Half a year has passed since the

end of the war in the Gaza Strip.
With reconstruction moving slowly
and borders mostly closed,
hopelessness is spreading among
those living in the ruins. Tania
Krmer reports from Gaza.

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EU calls for relaunch of

Israeli-Palestinian peace
process as Likud wins
election 18.03.2015
Current Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu looked likely
to remain in the job after his Likud
party clearly won the most seats in
Israel's election. The international
reaction has been mixed.

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