SHAH ALAM – Prominent Palestinian journalist and activist Bisan Owda has announced she will unfollow social media users who continue to share celebratory or lifestyle content while Gaza continues to suffer under Israeli bombardment.
In an Instagram Story posted on Thursday, Owda, widely known by her online moniker Wizard Bisan said she would no longer engage with posts about food, holidays, clothing or leisure, regardless of the user’s religion or nationality.
“Forgive me, but I am unable to see your posts and your luxurious and empty lives at the same time.
“We may live in different worlds, and this step may be late, but neither me nor my people are able to see your food and your lives and not curse you and hate you.
“So that we do not see you as insignificant and ignorant, I am going to unfollow you and not see your Honolulu life,” the caption read.
She added that if she and her people survive the ongoing genocide, rebuild their lives and experience joy again, only then will she consider re-engaging with such content.
"This is the least I can do for my family and my people," she wrote.
Owda has become one of the most recognised voices documenting the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. Since Oct 7, 2023, she has regularly reported from the ground, providing firsthand accounts of the destruction, displacement and death caused by Israel's military campaign.
At just 20-something, Owda has amassed more than four million Instagram followers and continues to reach millions across platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter).
Her social media presence has grown significantly since the start of the war, often opening her videos with the haunting phrase, "I’m still alive."
Her reporting has covered key atrocities, including the Al-Shifa ambulance strike, the Flour Massacre in February 2024 and mass displacements to Khan Younis.
She herself has been displaced multiple times, including when her home and filming equipment in Gaza City's Rimal district were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
Media report, The New Arab reported, in recognition of her brave journalism, Owda was awarded an Emmy in Sep 2024 for her documentary "I’m Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive."
The report, produced in collaboration with AJ+, won the award for Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Short Form at the 45th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, hosted by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).