Alaqad previously worked as a human resources professional at a marketing agency while gathering a small online following on
Instagram in her free time. She regularly conducted media training as well, in addition to engaging in freelance journalism. Prior to the
Gaza war, Alaqad's online content mainly consisted of travel content, covering locations like Cyprus and Turkey. By November 3, she had accumulated 2.1 million followers on Instagram, Alaqad's videos have been shared by the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the
British Broadcasting Corporation,
Business Today,
The Independent,
The New York Times,
PBS NewsHour, and
The Washington Post. She was also interviewed by the
GB News Breakfast Show for an inquiry on how Gazans' lives had been affected by the war.
Since leaving the Gaza Strip On 22 November 2023, roughly one month into the
Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Alaqad and her family fled to Egypt via the
Rafah Border Crossing having secured visas via her uncle. In a later video, Alaqad, residing in
Melbourne, explained that she chose to leave the Gaza Strip because she feared that her journalism was putting her family in immediate danger. In February 2024, Alaqad took part in the
Bankstown Poetry Slam in the city of
Sydney, where she presented poetry that she had written about the war in her diary while she was in the Gaza Strip. == Writing ==