Jebreal was born in Haifa, Israel, to Nigerian-born Othman Jebreal and his wife Zakia, and grew up in Jerusalem. Her father was a Sufiimam and a groundskeeper at Al-Aqsa Mosque.[5] Her mother, who suffered from severe abuse in her childhood, committed suicide by walking into the sea and drowning in 1978, when Jebreal was 5. She and her sister Rania were immediately put into the Dar El-Tifel orphanage by their father[6][7] and were raised there until 1991. She regards its founder, Hind Husseini, as her teacher and mother, crediting her with saving her life.[8]
Jebreal worked as a journalist in Italy for twelve years. In 2006 she worked with Michele Santoro as an interviewer on AnnoZero, a political television show in Italy.[9]
Jebreal's first novel Miral was published in 2003. The film version, adapted by Jebreal, and directed by Julian Schnabel, was first released in 2010.[6][10][11]
Jebreal's second novel The Bride of Aswan was published in 2007. Her third book, Rejected, is a non-fiction study based on interviews with immigrants who have either made their way to successful careers in Italy or otherwise live on the margins of Italian society.[12]
Personal life
She has a daughter, Miral, whose father is artist Davide Rivalta.[13]
Jebreal's collaboration with Julian Schnabel on Miral extended beyond the movie, being in a relationship with him from 2007 to 2011.[14][15][16]
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