Gaza's Youngest Influencer Killed by Israeli Airstrikes
Via A Mighty Girl
Yaqeen Hammad -- Gaza's youngest influencer who at just 11 years old touched tens of thousands of lives with her cheerful spirit, bright smile, and practical survival tips for living under bombardment -- was one of the Mighty Girl role models who died in 2025. In one of her last posts before her death in May, Yaqeen offered advice on improvised cooking methods when gas wasn't available, while in another she wrote about distributing clothing to war orphans "to bring a little happiness." Yaqeen often worked alongside her older brother Mohamed Hammad, a humanitarian worker, and shared how much it meant to her to help children enduring such hardship. As she wrote in one post: "I try to bring a bit of joy to the other children so that they can forget the war."
Tragically, Yaqeen was killed on May 23 after Israeli airstrikes hit her family's house in the Al-Baraka area of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Yaqeen was one of dozens of children killed during that single week, including nine of a pediatrician's ten children who were killed while their mother, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, was caring for injured babies at a Gaza hospital. News of Yaqeen's death prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes. Mohamad al-Kadri, a volunteer with Muslim Doctors for Humanity, said: "She was a child who carried in her heart a love for doing good, a spirit of initiative, and dedicated her young energy to planting hope in the hearts of those around her."
Hani Abu Rizq, a journalist and colleague at the Ouena collective, described Yaqeen's humanitarian work as "truly beautiful," noting that "[Yaqeen] had an entrepreneurial spirit and was always the first to do good. She loved helping others and bringing joy to children in displacement camps. She had a special touch, spreading hope and optimism among people despite the difficult circumstances." Her videos resonated with people, Rizq observed, because they were "sincere and heartfelt" and "conveyed the reality of Palestinian children in Gaza." Yaqeen refused to give in to the war, instead striving to spread cheer and comfort to other children. One week before her death, she wrote: "Is there anything more beautiful than the smile of Gaza children?"
"Despite the pain and shock of Yaqeen's killing, this is the true face of the occupation," Rizq reflected. "Israel has killed a very large number of children during this genocide." The death toll continued to rise throughout 2025. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 70,925 people have been confirmed killed, including 20,179 children as of December 21.
Before the October ceasefire, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell testified to the UN Security Council that "an average of 28 children have been killed each day, the equivalent of an entire classroom. Consider that for a moment: a whole classroom of children killed every day for nearly two years. These children are not combatants. They are being killed and maimed as they line up for lifesaving food and medicine."
International pressure eventually led to a ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration, which took effect on October 10 -- but it remains extremely fragile. According to Gaza's Government Media Office, Israel violated the ceasefire agreement at least 738 times from October 10 to December 12, through the continuation of attacks by air, artillery and direct shootings. The IDF, meanwhile, has reported 64 violations by Palestinian militants since the ceasefire's implementation. Since the ceasefire took effect, Israeli attacks have killed at least 401 Palestinians and injured 1,108.
Just this week, an Israeli attack killed at least six Palestinians attending a wedding party at a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City. Qatar's prime minister warned on Wednesday that Israel's continued breaches of the ceasefire are threatening the entire agreement.
Yaqeen's killing in May was a tragic harbinger of the devastation that would continue to unfold for Gaza's children. As Pope Leo XIV said at the time during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square: "In the Gaza Strip, the intense cries are reaching Heaven more and more from mothers and fathers who hold tightly to the bodies of their dead children."
Yaqeen was one of those children. As Gaza-based photojournalist Mahmoud Bassam wrote: "Her body may be gone, but her impact remains a beacon of humanity."
To see Yaqeen at an event that she helped organize for children at a camp for orphans and displaced families two weeks before she was killed, visit https://www.instagram.com/p/DJqzsCEN88e/?hl=en
To support UNICEF's work to help children in Gaza -- where 77% of the population still faces high levels of acute food insecurity even after the ceasefire -- visit https://help.unicef.org/ob/donate-to-children
For a touching picture book about a young girl living through airstrikes on Gaza, we recommend "Sitti's Bird: A Gaza Story" for ages 5 and up at https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9781623718251 (Bookshop) and https://amzn.to/451j0Xe (Amazon)
For two picture books about the experiences of Palestinian-Americans, check out "A Map for Falasteen" (https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9781250896704) and "Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine" (https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9781797202051), both for ages 4 and up
For both real-life and fictional stories of Mighty Girls living during wartime, visit our “War & Conflict” book section at https://www.amightygirl.com/books/social-issues/war-conflict
To read more about Yaqeen's death in The Guardian, visit https://www.theguardian.com/.../gazas-youngest-influencer...
