Staying Silent

Illustrated by Nawras Rahhal. Edited by Dima. Layout design by Sam Howle. Copyright: August 2026 (24 pages).

A piercing work of poetry and personal narrative that shifts the gaze from Gaza to the outside world, where the triviality of celebrity culture and social media algorithms dominates public perspective and glorifies the bare minimum when utmost efforts are sorely needed.

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Editions: English

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Letter to the Reader

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Dear Reader,

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Thank you for being here and for supporting us in Gaza. By purchasing this zine, you are directly supporting Palestinian families. 50% of all sales go to Project Sarsour, founded and led by my humble self, Ahmed Sarsour. The other 50% goes toward supporting my family.

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Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for choosing to support me and my work.

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This zine was made with the help of our incredible volunteers at Coastal Lines Press through the "Zines from Gaza" initiative by editors, designers, and artists from around the world.

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It reflects disappointment, yet hope; struggle, yet resilience; pain and sorrow, yet our humanity in the face of the countless atrocities committed against us. It exposes the forces that shape and control our world, and the complexity of those who have remained complicit, those who stayed silent while we have been slaughtered and killed, day after day, for more than two years.

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Above all, it honors our fallen brothers and sisters, the martyrs of every generation, the old before the young.

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I hope you find some solace in the lines I have woven together and in the stories I have tried to honor and memorialize through this zine. They deserve so much more.

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I am also working on a poetry book and two documentary films, and I have built a community on Discord where we develop these projects together. If any of my work resonates with you, or if you would like to become part of this community, please don't hesitate to reach out. You can find all my social media through my Linktree and website. My inbox is always open.

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Thank you to everyone who remains committed to the Palestinian cause, to those who continue to hope for a free Palestine, and to those who fought for justice and liberation, not only for us, but for oppressed nations around the world.

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I salute you, and I hope that one day I will have the chance to meet you and thank you in person.

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Until then, stay vocal. Keep fighting.

Fuck Israhell. Free Palestine.

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Sending you all my love and strength,

Ahmed Sarsour, a Palestinian-Sudanese poet in Gaza

Images and Text

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Request for Recognition

Gaza has been under an intellectual embargo for decades. We ask members of the literary community to lend the strength of their voices to our authors. This zine has yet to receive words of recommendation. If you are an established author willing to read and recommend this zine, email us at coastallinespress@gmail.com to receive a digital or hard copy.

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About the Author

Ahmed Sarsour is a Palestinian–Sudanese poet who lived and grew up in Sudan for 21 years. After escaping the conflict that broke out on April 15, 2023. He found himself caught in yet another conflict— another genocide. One the world has born witness to in Gaza.

Ahmed is a brother, a son, and an uncle. He celebrated one of his birthdays during Sudan’s genocide and two more during Gaza’s genocide. His sister gave birth twice during the bombings, and her story became his inspiration.

As he navigates his way to survive the genocide, his poems were born out of fear, love, and pain for his family and his people.

It became his voice—to scream into the void and to humanize his siblings in Gaza after the media turned its back on them.

Using poetry as both a weapon and a healing tool. He fights his social anxiety and the stereotypes that have been pushed on him and his people their whole lives.

“Islam is not the issue. Our race is not the issue. This is a fight for all humanity,” he says. “Because no one is free until we all are free.”

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Get Your Copy

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Click on the author’s name to be directed to their personal fundraiser and make your donation.

Ahmed's Fundraiser

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