Habiba Mahmoud Fahmi Abdelqader

“I wasn’t holding a gun; I was just drawing with my brushes”

The martyr child, Habiba Mahmoud Fahmi Abdelqader.

I am Habiba, 8 years old, from Gaza. I have beautiful red hair. I study in the third grade, and my grades are always high. I love my father and my only brother, Omar. My mommy calls me “the one who gives hugs.” My dream was to become an artist and learn English to tell the world about our suffering in Gaza. When the war started, I was very scared, and my body trembled all the time from the sounds of bombardment and rockets. But one day, I heard a voice telling me not to be afraid. However, my mommy didn’t hear it. I held onto my drawing brush to forget the sounds and started drawing my hair. I also drew the television that used to broadcast our news in Gaza. After an hour, they killed me and destroyed my dreams when they bombarded my house.

I wasn’t holding a gun; I was just drawing with my brushes.

Habiba was martyred in an Israeli airstrike on her home on October 25, 2023.