Gaza-based journalist Bisan Owda regains TikTok account after outcry

Award-winning Palestinian journalist regains account with 1.4 million followers after surprise removal from video-sharing platform.Published On 30 Jan 2026Award-winning Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda says she has regained access to her TikTok account, one day after saying she was banned from the video-sharing platform.Owda told Al Jazeera on Thursday that she thought that international media attention and pressure from nongovernmental organisations had helped get back her TikTok account, although now visitors and followers must type her full username to find her popular account on the site.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda and AJ+ win Emmy for Gaza war documentarylist 2 of 4Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda with 1.4m followers reports TikTok banlist 3 of 4What’s UpScrolled, the app gaining popularity after TikTok’s US takeover?list 4 of 4Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda regains TikTok account after outcryend of listOwda also said that she had received a message from TikTok that many of her video posts are now “ineligible for recommendation”.Al Jazeera was able to see Owda’s TikTok account on Friday, which has 1.4 million followers, although no new posts are visible from the Gaza-based journalist since September 2025.Owda gained recognition internationally for posting daily videos from the war-torn Palestinian territory, where she greeted her audience in regular video diaries, saying, “It’s Bisan from Gaza – and I’m still alive” during Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave.A contributor to Al Jazeera’s AJ+, Owda’s reporting earned her top journalism accolades, including Emmy, Peabody and Edward R Murrow awards.Alerting followers to the removal of her account on Wednesday, Owda noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is suspected of war crimes in Gaza, had said that he hoped the purchase of TikTok “goes through, because it can be consequential”.Despite a ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli attacks continue on the enclave, and last week, Israel’s ongoing strikes killed three Palestinian journalists in the territory.