What was happening in Gaza, completely sealed off? A historian infiltrated and documented the reality of war, a reportage that shocked the world, 'A Historian Infiltrates Gaza,' urgently published on April 28!

Kawade Shobo Shinsha Publishing Co., Ltd. (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director: Yu Onodera) will urgently publish the non-fiction book 'A Historian Infiltrates Gaza' (tax-included price 2,860 yen) on April 28, 2026. This book is by Jean-Pierre Filiu, the foremost authority on contemporary Middle Eastern history in France, who has continuously covered Gaza for over 45 years.

Jean-Pierre Filiu is a historian who has frequented Gaza for about 45 years since his late teens, mastering the Palestinian Arabic dialect and intimately knowing the land and its people. When he entered Gaza in December 2024—amidst Israel's 'war of annihilation'—what unfolded before him was an entirely different reality, where all his previous experiences were rendered obsolete.

This book is a harrowing yet shocking non-fiction account, meticulously chronicling the author's one-month stay in wartime Gaza, a place that became almost impossible for outsiders to enter, as he entered as a humanitarian aid worker.

The people of Gaza know they have been abandoned by the world—

As the author writes in this book:

'The terrifying reality of the 'humanitarian zone,' the treatment of increasing numbers of dead bodies, the pressing food shortages and collapsed sanitary conditions, the suffering of medical and media personnel, gangs operating in the shadows targeting supplies, the situation of women, and the complex views on Hamas expressed by the people—'

The realities of the battlefield, invisible from afar, are depicted from within. Furthermore, the author elucidates how this situation came to be, from political, economic, and cultural perspectives.

* Of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip, 35 were forced to cease functioning (at least once). The remaining one is operated by the UAE and thus exempt from attack.
* Sanitary conditions have severely deteriorated; one bar of soap (130g) soared to 3,000 yen.
* Israel intentionally attacked and killed journalists, and media offices were systematically destroyed. In Gaza, education has begun to enable reporting via smartphones.
* Gangs are rampant in Gaza. On November 17, 2024, 99 out of 109 trucks carrying UN aid supplies were looted, and on January 4, 2025, 50 out of 75 trucks were looted.
* Fuel is critically scarce in Gaza, so diesel is being replaced with sunflower oil, and cars (tuk-tuks) are being modified to run on small cooking gas cylinders to get by.
* Prices for everything have skyrocketed; chicken, which was scarce for several months, cost about 900 yen per 100g, and at one point, a single cigarette reached 8,600 yen.

The sight of people fiercely struggling to survive amidst the rubble confronts us with the true nature of the Israel/Palestine war and the terrifying essence of modern warfare. This book is an indispensable must-read for touching upon the 'present' that can never be fully understood through news and reports alone.

Included in this book: The Gaza Strip before the October 7, 2023 attack and the Gaza Strip as of December 2024.

This shocking non-fiction work by a historian, 'A Historian Infiltrates Gaza' (tax-included price 2,860 yen), which became a bestseller in France and has been translated and published in over 10 countries worldwide, is urgently published, so please pay attention.

■ Global Reactions, including UK's The Guardian 'Book of the Year'

"A work that depicts the acts of destruction carried out by Israel with Anglo-American support as unwavering eyewitness testimony. It portrays the tragedy of Palestinians suffering between the fanaticism of Hamas and Netanyahu's ethnic cleansing from an impartial perspective."

—Pratinav Anil (UK / University of Oxford, History) / The Guardian 'Book of the Year'

"Never before has the role of the historian been so strongly demanded. Filiu's courage, insight, and direct field experience make this book a decisive work for understanding the genocide in Gaza and its global implications."

—Mark LeVine (US / University of California, Irvine, Modern Middle Eastern History)

"This book meticulously records every event that occurred in wartime Gaza, from street scenes and a family's daily life to hospital conditions, local journalists, and even gangs operating in the shadows targeting supplies. While the world, that is, we, watched the war unfold, or praised the progress of cease-fire and peace negotiations, unimaginable massacres and destruction were constantly ongoing. We cannot avert our eyes from this reality. This book is a crucial historical document capturing the 'present' of Gaza and its inhabitants."

—Dina Matar (UK / SOAS University of London, Politics)

"Filiu records how Israel's war of annihilation progressed from the victims' perspective. The people living in Gaza, despite enduring profound trauma, are fiercely fighting to escape death. To respect human rights and realize a better world, this work...