In this interview, writer Yousef Aljamal memorializes the legacy of Refaat Alareer—Gaza' storyteller, writer, poet, professor, and activist—who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on December 6, 2023, during the genocide in Gaza.

In an obituary in the Journal of Palestine Studies, Yousef writes of Refaat: “When I think of Refaat's life, I remember learning and joy, and when I think of his killing, I think of the huge legacy he left behind. I see Refaat in the thousands of kites flying all over the world to commemorate his legacy. I see him in the thousands of students he inspired, some of whom are also university lecturers today. It was Refaat's mission in life to uplift the voices of Palestinians in Gaza, because for him, 'Palestine is a story away, a stone away.'”

Read the obituary, in remembrance.