In early 2023, Diana Shams welcomed her second child, a daughter named Rose, into the world. Less than a year later, her family's life was upended, forcing them to flee their home and live in makeshift shelters amidst the rubble of Gaza. Her journey from a typical mother to one surviving a war zone is now chronicled in her powerful new book.
From Birthday Cakes to Bomb Shelters
Diana Shams, 27, used to worry about the familiar challenges of parenting: screen time, sugar intake, and which cartoon character to feature on a birthday cake. She reflects that she once believed motherhood was defined by sleepless nights and messy rooms. That reality was shattered when conflict erupted, leading to an Israeli offensive that a UN inquiry has labelled a genocide, killing over 68,000 people, most of them civilians, and reducing entire cities to ruins.
During a brief truce in early 2025, Shams and her family returned to their damaged home, attempting to clear debris and make repairs. It was a friend from abroad who suggested she document her extraordinary experience as a mother. With her laptop lost under the wreckage of her family home, she wrote her entire book, A Different Kind of Motherhood, on her mobile phone.
A Voice for Mothers in the Dark
Her book does not offer easy answers but instead shares the raw experiences of her family and other Palestinian mothers she knew, many of whom were killed or lost their children. "No one prepares you to raise children through sirens, smoke and screams," Shams writes. "No one explains how to carry your baby through fire, hunger and fear – and still sing to her at bedtime."
She emphasises that the book is not just for her, but for every mother in Gaza who has given birth in shelters without light or medicine, and for those who have suffered the ultimate loss but must continue for their remaining children.
The Struggle for Normality Amidst Siege
Even before the recent war, life in the besieged Gaza Strip was a challenge, often described as the world's largest open-air prison. Yet, Shams and her husband worked tirelessly to build a life, saving and borrowing to buy their own home, which they painted in anticipation of Rose's arrival.
This fragile normality was destroyed just seven months after Rose's birth. Forced to flee after a neighbour's house was bombed, the family moved repeatedly, eventually travelling south and sleeping in their car until a tent became available. They have lived in and out of tents ever since.
Shams contrasts her reality with that of mothers abroad, who worry about homework and school photos, while in Gaza, the primary hope is simply for a child to survive long enough to have a first day of school again.
Speaking by phone from Gaza, Shams noted that news reports cannot fully capture the experience, asking, "Who can understand what it means for my daughter Rose to take her first steps in mud and dirt?"
Finding a Voice Through Social Media
Shams found a small measure of solace in documenting her daily life on TikTok, showing her children playing in the sand and her search for basic necessities like baby milk and nappies. A video she recorded during a frantic, rain-soaked night when her tent flooded went viral, connecting her with a global audience whose supportive comments moved her deeply.
This response solidified her mission: "I had to be a voice for all the mothers in Gaza who have none." Her book, written in stolen moments of quiet after her children sleep, stands as a poignant testament to the resilience of mothers facing unimaginable adversity. A Different Kind of Motherhood by Diana Shams is available as an ebook.
