Gaza’s ‘youngest humanitarian influencer’ killed in Israeli strike

Various videos posted by 11-year-old Yaqeen Hammad before her death

Nagham Zbeedat writes in Haaretz on 27 May 2025:

Eleven-year-old Yaqeen Hammad, a Gazan social media activist and humanitarian volunteer, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit her home in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza last Friday. Hammad is one of more than a dozen children killed in recent days amid intensified Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip.

On Instagram, Hammad shared videos documenting her volunteer work in schools, soup kitchens and charities to her 103,000 followers. Hammad posted in Arabic, and her posts often included her brother, Mohammed Hammad, a humanitarian worker whose social media accounts were frequently blocked, according to local journalists.

Mohammed had been “gradually training” Hammad to take over her Instagram page, guiding her as she posted clips of herself helping build homes in Gaza, distributing food and money to families in need and supporting fundraising efforts for community projects across the Strip. Before long, Hammad became a symbol of hope and innocence.

In one of her last recent videos, Yaqeen Hammad looks into the camera and says, “In spite of the war, in spite of the genocide, we came here to bring joy to the children.”

Gazan photojournalist Amr Tabash shared a video featuring glimpses of Hammad working on humanitarian projects. Alongside the footage, he wrote about the determination to hold on to hope: “Yaqeen was martyred, yet certainty remains in our hearts that the children of Gaza are the heartbeat of humanity and a reflection of global silence.”

Mohamad al-Kadri, a volunteer with Muslim Doctors for Humanity – a decentralized NGO focusing its efforts on crisis-stricken regions like Gaza – shared a heartfelt tribute to the young activist on Facebook.

“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,” the Canada-based volunteer wrote.  Al-Kadri questioned what wrongdoing could justify the killing of a child who “only wished to make a difference” in her community and serve as “a light in the midst of darkness.”

Though Hammad is gone, he said, “she leaves behind an indelible impact and a message louder than any voice.” Even in her passing, he added, Hammad remains “a role model for children – a symbol of generosity and innocence targeted by injustice.”

Gaza’s Al Jazeera correspondent Wael al-Dahdouh shared news of Hammad’s death, emphasizing that “no one is immune,” referring to the girl’s young age and lack of connection to any form of combat.

Ouena Collective, a Palestinian nonprofit operating in the Gaza Strip where Hammad volunteered, has not yet issued a statement on the death of the young volunteer.

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