Bitter Brew
The story explores the profound human bond between Dima and her mother through the ritual of sharing coffee, which served as a space of care and the transmission of values between mother and daughter, as is common in many Palestinian households. This simple ritual, once a moment of warmth and family closeness, was transformed by loss into a symbol of pain and absence, turning coffee from a daily practice that carried the meaning of life into a haunting reminder of the interruption of this role each time it is repeated.
The story also reveals another layer of the tragedy Dima experienced in 2024, when she was trapped under the rubble for hours following the bombardment of her family’s home before being rescued. She lost 18 members of her family in one of the most devastating moments of her life. In this way, her personal experience becomes a human and gendered testimony, highlighting how the impact of war extends beyond physical loss to the dismantling of networks of care and social roles that are often carried by women within the Palestinian family during the war on Gaza.
Shahd Alruzze
A Palestinian artist and journalist born in 2002 in Jenin, West Bank. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Digital Media from Arab American University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Digital Media and Communications at Al-Quds University. Her artistic practice focuses on journalistic comics and visual storytelling as tools for documenting social and political realities. Through illustration and narrative, she explores lived experiences, identity, and contemporary Palestinian contexts within digital media spaces.
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