The death of Gaza's youngest influencer in an Israeli bombing shocks Palestine.

CairoLast Friday night, hell opened up again in the skies of the Al Baraka neighborhood in the city of Deir al Balah in central Gaza, in the form of renewed bombing by the Israeli army. One of the targets of the attack was a family home, which was razed to the ground. And from the rubble, one of the bodies recovered was that of Yaqin Hamad, an 11-year-old girl who had become one of the influencers youngest and most popular in the Strip.

Hamad had become known for her contagious smile and the vitality and optimism that her posts exuded, despite the war and the genocidal blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza. Also because in some videos, she gave practical advice on how to survive in the Strip. In one of the last recordings she posted, the girl explains how they could cook: "Are they going to cut off our gas? Well, we'll make gas. We put wood here [in a small can over a flame] and a fan [next to it] to make the fire go up higher. And we'll make some food!" she encouraged.

Hamad's death in a new bombing attack on a civilian target has also caused shock because it has put a human face on a tragedy that often only carries numbers. Since the beginning of the war, the Israeli army has killed at least 5,000 children between the ages of 13 and 17 in Gaza; more than 6,000 children between the ages of 6 and 12; almost 4,500 children between the ages of 1 and 5; and nearly 1,000 babies, according to figures released by the local Ministry of Health on Thursday. Children account for a third of the confirmed deaths in the Strip, and many more remain unidentified or missing.

Hamad embodied the struggle of the little ones. In a video published in mid-March, the girl announced, with the help of the NGO she collaborated with, Ouena, a project to distribute 11,000 items of clothing to orphaned children in Gaza. In another, she was shown distributing ice cream to children. And in her latest recording, she was seen playing musical chairs with other children, dancing, clapping, and jumping. "Despite the war, despite the genocide, today is a day of joy!" she shouted.

During the last ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which lasted from mid-January to mid-March, when Tel Aviv finally abandoned the agreement and resumed attacks on Gaza, Hamad had also mobilized to begin rebuilding the Strip. In one of these videos, two excavators were seen removing rubble, and in another, in the middle of rehabilitation work on water wells, the girl is seen filling jerry cans to distribute to the people.

More than 110,000 followers

Hamad, who once had more than 110,000 followers on Instagram, also announced in late April that the Ouena collective would soon launch a project to provide shelter and education to hundreds of school-age children and their families. In a post, the girl promised that they would rebuild Gaza with their own help and provide aid "everywhere, both in the north and the south" of the Strip. the same age as her daughter and wished her rest in peace, away from "all the adults" who have "failed" her. In a post in which she thanked her for dedicating her energy "to sow hope among those around her" and for becoming "a role model for children; a symbol of generosity and innocence, a victim of injustice." During the last holy month of Ramadan that she experienced, which this year coincided with the month of March, Hamad filmed himself helping in community kitchens, preparing bags of dates and carrying water to distribute among those observing the fast from dawn to dusk. end of Ramadan, a photo in which she smiles and draws a heart with her hands that has circulated a lot this week to remember her.