Refaat Alareer (1979–2023) was a Palestinian writer, poet, professor and activist from the Gaza Strip. On 6 December 2023, Alareer was killed by an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, along with his brother, sister, and four of his nephews, during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. Alareer has edited a short story collection titled, “Gaza Writes Back” and a collection of essays, “Gaza Unsilenced.” He also co-founded the organization We Are Not Numbers, a mentorship program that pairs writers in Gaza with international authors, as a means of establishing the power of Palestinian resistance. 

Refaat Alareer’s final poem, ‘If I Must Die’, was circulated widely after his killing, and has been translated into more than 250 languages.