Palestinian Journalist Bisan Awda Permanently Banned from TikTok

On Wednesday, she posted a video message on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) stating that her TikTok platform, cultivated over four years, was removed without prior warning. She had around 1.4 million followers on the platform.

Bisan, reporting from Gaza via AJ+ digital platform, regularly covered the ongoing war, humanitarian crisis, and ordinary life in Gaza. A signature phrase of her videos was: “I am Bisan, speaking from Gaza, and I am still alive,” which became symbolic of Gaza’s reality worldwide.

Al Jazeera confirmed that TikTok has not provided an official explanation for the ban. While a TikTok account under her name is visible in some regions like Australia, it is inaccessible across much of the Middle East, raising concerns over regional content control.

In her video, Bisan hinted that the ban might be linked to recent statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and TikTok U.S.’s new CEO.

Previously, Bisan’s journalism extended beyond social media. She won an Emmy in 2024 for her AJ+ documentary “It’s Bisan from Gaza” in the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story category.

Her TikTok account deletion is seen as an example of censorship and silencing journalists amid conflict, highlighting restrictions on wartime reporting. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 207 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since October 2023, mostly by Israeli attacks.