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Belal Aldabbour @Belalmd12

Refaat @itranslate123 visited me in a dream tonight. I told him everyone mourned him, and that all on Twitter were sad for him. "I want to see that turned into action." He told me. Then he left. So typical of Refaat, in life and in death.

Max Blumenthal @MaxBlumenthal

Refaat said to me: “Israel wants us to be closed, isolated—to push us to the extreme. It doesn’t want us to be educated. It doesn’t want us to see ourselves as part of a universal struggle against oppression. They don’t want us to be educated or to be educators.” He was a living model of the spirit of resistance Israel is determined to destroy. We must not let them win.

Jehad Abusalim جهاد أبو سليم @JehadAbusalim

I've known Refaat Alareer (@itranslate123) since I was 17. He taught me my first English writing course. More than a teacher, he was a mentor, a friend, and he truly cared about his students beyond the classroom. His passion was the English language, but he didn't teach it as a means of disassociating from society, as is common among many English-speaking upper and middle classes in the third world. For Refaat, English was a tool of liberation, a way to break free from Gaza's prolonged siege, a teleportation device that defied Israel's fences and the intellectual, academic, and cultural blockade of Gaza. When Refaat taught English to me and my friends, he ensured we read Malcolm X, or el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, as he often reminded us to call him. He emphasized that learning a language requires understanding its culture and being critical and mindful that language is not free from questions of power and representation. Refaat's journey in learning and teaching was filled with struggles. His life was challenging, marked by significant family losses. Yet, he persevered, fought back, and wrote back. One day, many of us, as Refaat's students, will share parts of his story. However, today, let's remember that Refaat has a family in Gaza mourning a loving father and husband. If we owe Refaat anything, it is to continue our fight until a ceasefire is achieved, until the destruction in Gaza ceases. So, #CeasefireNOW! (In the picture, Refaat, @YousefAljamal, and I on the Staten Island Ferry, a moment from Refaat's @GazaWritesBack book tour in the United States in 2014.)

Refaat in Gaza 🇵🇸 @itranslate123

If I must die, let it be a tale. #FreePalestine #Gaza pic.twitter.com/ODPx3TiH1a