A coastal civilisation open to the world. A flourishing port on a major international trading route. This was Gaza's past. Can it be its future?
Today, Gaza is home to a uniquely imprisoned people, most unable to travel to the West Bank, let alone Israel, where tens of thousands once worked, and unable to flee in wartime. Trapped inside a crucible of conflict, the surprise is that so many of them remain courageous, outspoken and steadfast.
From refugee camps to factories struggling under economic stranglehold and bombardment, Donald Macintyre reveals Gaza's human tragedy through the stories of the ordinary people who live and work there. He portrays the suffering through siege and war, the failings – including those of the international community – that have seen opportunities for peace pass by and the fragile, lingering hope that Gaza, with its creativity and resilience, can be part of a better future for the Middle East.
About the Author
Donald Macintyre was the Independent's Jerusalem bureau chief for eight years between 2004 and 2012, and before that its political editor and chief political commentator. He is a former presenter of BBC Radio 4's Week in Westminster. He won the Next Century Foundation's Peace through Media Award in 2011 and has previously been shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Journalism and for the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. He lives in Clapham, south London.
Industry Reviews
'This is a book which answers a lot of questions, and prompts quite a few more...Donald Macintyre is to be commended for his forthright approach.' * The Muslim World Book Review *
'As head of the Independent's Jerusalem bureau, Donald Macintyre followed Gaza at a critical time, as he recounts in his highly impressive book Gaza: Preparing for dawn (2017). Macintyre was there when Israel dismantled the settlements, when Hamas won the democratic elections of 2006, and when it took full control in a coup a year later. He was also there when Hamas fired rockets into neighbouring Sderot, and when Israel retaliated with repeated incursions. His first-hand account of the tragedy is even-handed, balanced and devastating.' * Ari Shavit, Times Literary Supplement *
'The inflammable world of Middle Eastern politics is treacherous terrain for those who don't know it well, and even for those who do: Macintyre navigates it with sensitivity, skill and the diligence of a committed reporter... Along the way he fills readers in on the history that led to today's impasse.' * Mail on Sunday *
'Superb...essential reading.' * Tribune *
'Wise and powerful.' * The Tablet *
'Donald Macintyre has managed to skillfully write a comprehensive account of the Strip that is faithful to history, humane in its consideration of people, and accurate with respect to events. The lucid style of this commendable journalist makes history and events comprehensible and easy to follow.' * This Week in Palestine *
'Searing, scrupulous reportage.' * Jenny McCartney *
'Highly informative and written in an engaging style, navigating the humanitarian repercussions of diplomacy and impunity well.' * Middle East Monitor *
'A brilliant and incisive account of this tiny, vibrant, but embattled enclave. With the two million people of Gaza struggling to survive food shortages, electricity cuts, and increasing amounts of sewage in her surrounding seas, this is a must-read.' -- Jon Snow
'Donald Macintyre skilfully picks his way through the tangle of accusations that surrounds Gaza's tragedy. This is a lucid, essential guide. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to understand the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.' -- Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor
'A perceptive first-hand analysis of Gaza's hell-on-earth.' -- Martin Bell, author of War and the Death of News
'Donald Macintyre's Gaza is a deeply informed and elegant portrait of this small but profoundly important and misunderstood part of the world. Not only are Gaza's history and politics made compellingly accessible, so too are her sight, sound and smell. In this way Macintyre challenges any notion of Gaza's irrelevance and perhaps more importantly does what few authors writing on Gaza have done: elevates the ordinary in a manner that will endure, helping the reader understand that no matter who we are and where we are from, in Gaza we can recognise ourselves. This book speaks to something greater than Gaza's pain; it speaks to Gaza's soul.' -- Sara Roy, Senior Research Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
'Donald Macintyre has written a remarkable political panorama about Gaza today. In cool prose he exposes the history of the conflict and the discussion that has surrounded it. Anyone interested in understanding the situation between Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and Israel should look at the conclusion of this book. Anyone who wants to feel a little bit how people live in this narrow strip of land on the Mediterranean coast must read the whole work.' -- Shlomo Sand, Emeritus Professor of History, Tel Aviv University, and author of The Invention of the Jewish People
