New Release: Echoes of Survival
A collection of seven narrative articles by Khaled Al-Qershali
Focused and unflinching, this collection of seven narrative articles surveys the immensity of an unfolding genocide with an eye intent on rebuilding and reclaiming every inch of Palestinian life in Gaza. Within the spirit of the words, one senses a multidimensional mind, capable of understanding the complex layers of a demolished society.
A work of courage that describes the indescribable with precision and compassion.
Spanish and Italian editions available soon.
Articles in the collection:
This is Beyond Genocide
Surviving Israel’s Deadly Shells
An Intimate Friendship Devastated by War
Getting from A to B Means Risking Your Life in Gaza
A Long Day’s Journey to Reunite in Displacement
Breaking into My Home in Gaza City
The Day Israel Tried to Kill Me
Excerpt from “This is Beyond Genocide”
On the 7th of April, my friend Khaled sent me a message, casually asking if it was cold where I am. Although we are in spring, the weather was truly freezing that night. I couldn’t tell Khaled that I gave my blanket to my cousin because everything they had was under the rubble.
Instead, I replied, “No, it is warm inside the tent and I have my fleece blanket.” I lied, not because I wanted to hide the truth, but because I knew Khaled was already burdened—fighting his illness, carrying more than enough on his shoulders. I didn’t want to add to it. But Khaled’s reply caught me off guard.
He wrote, “I’m freezing too. I put on some simple clothes and went outside— just to feel, for a moment, what you’re going through right now.” I told him to stop the nonsense and go back inside—only to receive even more devastating news. “Pray for me,” he wrote. “Doctors now suspect I might have another type of malignant cancer—melanoma.” Khaled had already been diagnosed with blood cancer in October of 2023 and travelled to Jordan to receive chemotherapy.
I wanted so badly to call him, to offer some comfort—even if just through words. But the place I was sleeping in had other limits. I was cramped in a corner beside my father and other family members. One call would have woken everyone. I prayed for him and told him to stay strong. But later that night I couldn’t stop thinking. I lay awake for hours, trying to understand why all of this was happening. Sleep eventually came, but the same question stayed: Why is all of this still happening?
Sample text and illustration
And as we began the last stretch to Deir al-Balah, our newly-arrived relatives, like travelers from a distant land, voiced surprise at the things they could see being sold by street-side vendors.
“Look! They have fruits and vegetables,” Hazem’s young daughter, Malak, said. “They also have noodles and chocolates.”
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Find out more about digital, print and translated copies on Get Your Copy.
If you’re a bookseller, bookstore or printing press and want to support this fundraiser by printing and distributing zines, contact the writers directly or email coastallinespress@gmail.com for PDF copies or more information. Proof of donation required. The QR code on each zine serves as the point of sale, and all profits go to the authors.
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These are truly the most important works of our time
Documenting life under siege through narrative journalism preserves human dignity when systemic forces try to erase it. The detail about Khaled lying about having a blanket to spare his friend worry while both face freezing tempratures captures the layered trauma people navigate daily. Linking the zine directly to evacuation fundraising turns readers into particpants rather than passive observers.