Gaza stories first published in print in Japanese
A notebook, a pen and a small stand to use as a desk ― author Dina Hosam Abu Rabee, 26, carried these items as she fled airstrikes, writing in tents and sometimes by the light of a mobile phone.
Against the odds, the stories she recorded have taken shape as a book ― but not in Arabic or English. The world’s first printed edition is in Japanese, the result of an unlikely chain of encounters stretching from Gaza to Japan.
Harrowing stories of life and death
Casualties continue to rise in Gaza despite a ceasefire declared last year. Food shortages, poor healthcare and prolonged displacement make everyday life a struggle for survival.
Behind the numbers are countless personal tragedies. Dina’s book preserves some of those stories ― written down as she lived through the conflict herself.
"Hakaayaa Harb," or "Gaza: Stories of a War" was originally written in Arabic. The author is among tens of thousands displaced by Israeli attacks who wrote inside tents as she fled from northern Gaza to the south.
Dina was inspired to write by the desperate circumstances in which she found herself: "Witnessing so many massacres, such brutality, and such fear, drove me…to write a book of war stories, so that our voices might reach the world and these tales be preserved throughout history."
"In Gaza, every one of us carries a story. Countless stories have pierced the hearts of us Palestinians. Today, I would like to share with you a single drop from that vast ocean of stories."
These words are part of the prologue in Dina's book.
She selected 12 people to write about, including some who survived and others who did not. All the stories are tragedies, featuring the voices from those affected by extreme violence, including children.
The first chapter, Tears of Pleading, recounts the suffering of five-year-old Hind Rajab, who died after being trapped in a car for hours surrounded by her dead relatives. During her ordeal, she begged for help by phone to be rescued. The family was targeted as they fled to safety from an Israeli attack.
In another chapter, Dina writes about doctors in Gaza who remain committed to their vocation. She chose Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya as an example of someone who chose to endure and resist. The pediatrician forged on despite losing his own son and suffering injuries himself in an Israeli attack. He is now being detained by Israel.
From Gaza to Japan
Dina wanted her subjects' voices to be heard, and she did that by taking up a pen to make a record of them.
Then, her own voice was heard ― first by Gazan journalist Mohammed Mansour, who met her in a displacement camp after learning about her project. He wrote an article about Dina's work for a Japanese newspaper.
The next person to listen to Dina was Mizokawa Takami, a graduate student of Arab literature at Waseda University in Tokyo. He read Mansour’s article and decided he wanted to translate Dina’s book into Japanese.
Mizokawa obtained the book’s script via a researcher and completed the translation. He also found a publisher in Japan.
Mizokawa made all of the necessary arrangements, except for one vital part: Dina's approval. Mansour was the only person who had a way to contact her, but he was killed in an Israeli attack in March 2025.
Mizokawa almost gave up. But through social media and with the help of others, he eventually got in touch with the author.
The unusual set of circumstances is the reason that the Japanese translation of Dina's book is the first printed version to appear anywhere in the world. So far, no English or Arabic editions have been published.
According to Mizokawa, the book "makes you feel as if you're hearing Dina's voice. It's the kind of thing that never comes through, say, in the news, which tells you how many people were killed today or what happened where. That's why I wanted to make sure such a voice is shared."
The translator's dilemma
Translating Dina's words into Japanese came with various challenges. Mizokawa says she uses raw, blunt terms to express her anger and hatred against those she claims showed no mercy in their attacks.
These include sentences like:
"The occupier must not believe that with its might, weapons and massacres, it can break our resilience," and "Just wait, occupier, for your downfall is near, God willing."
While some of the original passages contained harsh and graphic language, Mizokawa decided to convey them as faithfully as possible to reflect the reality of life in Gaza.
"Initially, I even thought of asking her to rewrite some religious expressions and words that expressed hatred. But I chose to keep them the way they are. It didn't feel right to change them just to suit our convenience and preference. I supplemented the objective information by adding translator’s notes to help readers understand better," he explains.
Reaching readers in Japan
The book was released by Chiheisha Publishing, a small company in Tokyo. A 3,000-copy initial print run is available at bookstores across Japan and online.
The publisher says the title is steadily attracting readers.
“Dina’s writing vividly conveys how each person lived their life, so readers seem to come away feeling that such injustice must not be tolerated and asking themselves what they can do. From the feedback we have been receiving, I feel the book has prompted a deep and thoughtful response,” says editor Kimura Ryo.
Finding hope and strength in motherhood
Dina's book includes the story of a mother who endured 10 years of fertility treatments, only to lose her newborn twins and husband in an Israeli airstrike.
She titled the chapter, Mother Whose Wings Were Broken. It includes this line:
"She had dreamed of her babies for years. But the time they stayed in this world was much too short."
Dina wrote the mother's story not knowing that she would soon become a mother herself.
In November 2025, one year after she finished the book, she gave birth in a tent to a baby boy, Amir.
Dina says she had been afraid of bringing a baby into the world, but becoming a mother has strengthened her will to survive and pursue a happy life. Her son’s arrival brought her a new personal goal: to write about her own journey.
Her new book "will tell the story of Dina and the young child she gave birth to during the war," she says. "I got married in a tent and gave birth to a baby in a tent. I lost the chance to continue my studies, and I lost my computer and my mobile phone."
In the midst of despair, Dina says writing helps her hold onto hope ― a hope to live, and a hope that one day people outside Gaza will hear her people’s voices.
"World, where are you? Where's your humanity?" she asks…and as she waits for answers, she is determined to preserve stories as testimony of whatever unfolds.
Yotsumoto Jun
NHK World
Correspondent
ガザ ある戦争の物語
byディーナー・ホサーム・アブールバイア
3 customer reviews
From Japan
- Reviewed in Japan on October 17, 2026ガザがイスラエルとの戦争、というよりもはや虐殺によってどういうことが起こっているのか、その当事者が生々しく伝える本です。戦争は市民の生活をどう変えるのかを知り、そしてそれを自分事として想像することを可能にするために、是非多くの人に読んでもらいたい本です。
- Reviewed in Japan on August 4, 2026ガザについて知ってください。一時間くらいで読めます。
- Reviewed in Japan on May 29, 2026ガザにいる女性による短編集。何よりも、ガザにいる人たち、殺された人たちも生き延びている人たちにも、人生があるということが示されている。そのことが伝わってくる本。
でも何より救われるのは、著者が出版を前に、どうには無事に子どもを産むことができたこと。母子ともに健康に生き延びて欲しいと思う。
ガザで人々が生きているということ、そのことをもっと心に留めて欲しいと思うし、そこで問われているのが、私たちの人間性なのだとも思う。ジェノサイドは遠い話ではなく、リアルに今の話でもある。
そういったことを取り戻させてくれる本。
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