Award-winning Palestinian journalist regains account with 1.4 million followers after shock elimination from video-sharing platform.
Printed On 30 Jan 2026
Award-winning Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda says she has regained entry to her TikTok account, sooner or later after saying she was banned from the video-sharing platform.
Owda advised Al Jazeera on Thursday that she thought that worldwide media consideration and stress from nongovernmental organisations had helped get again her TikTok account, though now guests and followers should kind her full username to seek out her common account on the positioning.
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Owda additionally stated that she had acquired a message from TikTok that a lot of her video posts at the moment are “ineligible for suggestion”.
Al Jazeera was in a position to see Owda’s TikTok account on Friday, which has 1.4 million followers, though no new posts are seen from the Gaza-based journalist since September 2025.
Owda gained recognition internationally for posting each day movies from the war-torn Palestinian territory, the place she greeted her viewers in common video diaries, saying, “It’s Bisan from Gaza – and I’m nonetheless alive” throughout Israel’s genocidal struggle on the enclave.
A contributor to Al Jazeera’s AJ+, Owda’s reporting earned her high journalism accolades, together with Emmy, Peabody and Edward R Murrow awards.
Alerting followers to the elimination of her account on Wednesday, Owda famous that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who’s suspected of struggle crimes in Gaza, had stated that he hoped the acquisition of TikTok “goes by, as a result of it may be consequential”.
Regardless of a ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli assaults proceed on the enclave, and final week, Israel’s ongoing strikes killed three Palestinian journalists within the territory.
In line with the Committee to Defend Journalists, not less than 207 Palestinian journalists and media employees have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, with the “overwhelming majority” killed by Israeli forces.
The elimination of Owda’s account additionally got here as Israel’s high court docket again postponed making a call on whether or not international journalists must be allowed to enter and report on Gaza independently of the Israeli army.
Al Jazeera contacted TikTok for remark, however a spokesperson stated the corporate didn’t touch upon particular accounts.
A spokesperson from TikTok advised The New Arab media outlet that Owda’s account had been “quickly restricted” in September following issues of a possible impersonation danger.
The spokesperson stated that following additional evaluation, the journalist’s account was reinstated and is now working usually, in line with The New Arab.
TikTok announced last week {that a} deal to ascertain a separate model of the platform in the US had been accomplished, with the brand new entity managed by funding companies, a lot of that are US corporations, together with a number of linked to President Donald Trump.
