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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Gaza's youngest influencer, 11, killed in Israeli strike after tragically offering war zone survival tips
Gaza 's youngest influencer, who posted survival tips for living in a war zone was killed in Israeli air strikes on Friday night. Yaqeen Hammad showed over 100,000 followers how to cook without gas but also how children living under bombardment found joy in daily life - posting images smiling and dancing. The 11-year-old was one of several children tragically killed in the strikes in central Gaza. Her body was torn apart and found between the rubble of the house that she lived in with her family in Al-Baraka area of Deir al-Bala. In one of her final posts, she wrote: 'Today was a day of joy for Gaza's orphans – we were giving them new clothes to bring a little happiness.' She also regularly shared videos of her work with Ouena collective, a Gaza-based non-profit organisation for humanitarian relief. They were posted under the handle @yaqeen_hmad, providing humanitarian updates and clips of her distributing toys to children with her brother Mohamed Hammad. When news of her death online hundreds of comments were left under her posts. One person wrote: 'What did a little girl do to deserve being killed?' Another added: 'I'm sorry we couldn't protect you.' Yaqeen is one of more than 15,000 children reported to have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, according to local health authorities. The strike was part of the latest influx of Israeli attacks, which killed 52 people on Monday, including 31 in a school turned shelter that was struck as people slept, igniting their belongings, according to local health officials. It follows an 11-week blockade on food, fuel, water and medicine, which has pushed the decimated civilian population of Gaza to the brink of famine, experts continue to warn. The Israeli military said 107 trucks carrying flour and other foodstuffs as well as medical supplies entered the Gaza Strip from the Kerem Shalom crossing point on Thursday. But getting the supplies to people sheltering in tents and other makeshift accommodation has been fitful and U.N. officials say at least 500 to 600 trucks of aid are needed every day. Israel imposed the blockade in early March, accusing Hamas of stealing aid meant for civilians. Hamas rejects the charge, saying a number of its own fighters have been killed protecting the trucks from armed looters. It has announced that a new system, sponsored by the United States and run by private contractors, will soon begin operations from four distribution centres in the south of Gaza, but many details of how the system will work remain unclear. The U.N. has already said it will not work with the new system, which it says will leave aid distribution conditional on Israel's political and military aims. Israel has maintained a presence in Gaza since the Hamas-led massacre of October 7, 2023, which saw gunmen storm into southern Israel and kill some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seize 251 hostages. It's subsequent ground and air war has left Gaza in ruin, displacing nearly all its residents and killing more than 53,000 people, many of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Who was Yaqeen Hammad? Gaza's 11-year-old influencer killed in Israeli strike
A young Gazan influencer has been killed as Israel's military offensive in the territory continued to intensify. Eleven-year-old Yaqeen Hammad reached tens of thousands with her social media videos, which focused on supporting the Gazan community by helping to distribute clothing and toys to orphans. She worked closely with the Ouena Collective, a Gaza -based non-profit providing aid and supporting projects in the Strip, alongside her older brother and humanitarian worker Mohamed Hammad, the Palestine Chronicle reports. The Chronicle said she was Gaza's youngest social media activist, posting videos about the work with her brother and Ouena building a kitchen to feed Palestinians during the month of Ramadan, as well as videos laughing and playing with other children. 'Is there anything more beautiful than the smile of children Gaza?' she wrote in the caption to a video just one week ago showing children enjoying games and dancing. She also posted videos about daily life, showing her followers how she cooks when there is little fuel to be had. Yaqeen was killed when Israel shelled al-Baraka in Deir el-Balah, northern Gaza, on Friday night, Al Jazeera reports. Tributes flowed on her social media following news of her death. 'Her body may be gone, but her impact remains a beacon of humanity,' Gazan photojournalist Mahmoud Bassam wrote. Dozens of Palestinians including women and children have been killed in Israeli bombardments since Friday, as Israel's renewed offensive in the Gaza Strip continues despite international condemnation. The UN's International Organisation for Migration said the renewed offensive had forcibly displaced nearly 180,000 people between May 15-25. A new aid system in Gaza opened its first distribution hubs Monday, according to a U.S.-backed group that said it began delivering food to Palestinians who face growing hunger after Israel's nearly three-month blockade to pressure Hamas. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is taking over the handling of aid despite objections from United Nations. The desperately needed supplies started flowing on a day that saw Israeli strikes kill at least 52 people in Gaza. The group said truckloads of food - it did not say how many - had been delivered to its hubs, and distribution to Palestinians had begun. It was not clear where the hubs were located or how those receiving supplies were chosen. Under pressure from allies, Israel began allowing a trickle of humanitarian aid into Gaza last week after blocking all food, medicine, fuel or other goods from entering since early March. Aid groups have warned of famine and say the aid that has come in is nowhere near enough to meet mounting needs. Hamas warned Palestinians on Monday not to cooperate with the new aid system, saying it is part of Israel's plans to transfer much of Gaza's population to other countries. Israel says it plans to facilitate what it describes as the voluntary migration of much of Gaza's population of 2 million, a plan rejected by Palestinians and much of the international community. Israel's military campaign has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and internally displaced some 90 per cent of its population. Many have fled multiple times.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Gaza's youngest influencer aged 11 among children killed by Israeli strikes
Eleven-year-old Yaqeen Hammad, Gaza's youngest influencer, is among the dozens of children killed by Israel in recent strikes, as its forces intensify their military offensive across the Palestinian territory. Known for her bright smile and volunteer efforts, Yaqeen was killed on Friday night after Israeli forces shelled the al-Baraka area of Deir al-Balah in northern Gaza, amid intense fighting in the region. Yaqeen and her older brother, Mohamed Hammad, delivered food, toys and clothing to displaced families, Al Jazeera has reported. She was also Gaza's youngest influencer, offering practical survival tips for daily life under bombardment, such as advice on how to cook with improvised methods when there was no gas. In one social media post, Yaqeen wrote: 'I try to bring a bit of joy to the other children so that they can forget the war.' She played an active role in the Ouena collective, a Gaza-based non-profit organisation dedicated to humanitarian relief. She often accompanied her older brother, Mohamed, a humanitarian worker, and together they distributed aid – food, toys and clothing. They often visited camps and makeshift shelters for displaced families. In each place they went, she tried to spread cheer and comfort to the children. This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. She refused to give in to the war, dancing, smiling and handing out ice-creams and praying with other children. When news of her death spread online, there was an outpouring of messages of grief and tributes from activists, followers and journalists. Mahmoud Bassam, a photojournalist in Gaza, said: 'Her body may be gone, but her impact remains a beacon of humanity.' 'Instead of being at school and enjoying her childhood, another tribute read on X, she was active on Instagram and participating in campaigns to help others in Gaza. No words. Absolutely no words.' Israel intensified its air campaign in Gaza in recent days. Israeli strikes killed at least 52 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including 31 in a school turned shelter that was struck as people slept, igniting their belongings, according to local health officials. On Sunday, Israeli attacks killed at least 38 more people, health officials in the Palestinian territory have said, bringing the death toll to more than 100 over the weekend. Yaqeen died during the same series of strikes across the territory that killed bombardments that killed nine of a paediatrician's 10 children within the international community.
