“My will, if I become a martyr or pass away: Please do not cry for me, because your tears cause me pain. I hope my clothes will be given to those in need. My accessories should be shared between Rahaf, Sara, Judy, Lana, and Batool. My bead kits should go to Ahmed and Rahaf. My monthly allowance, 50 shekels, 25 to Rahaf and 25 to Ahmed. My stories and notebooks to Rahaf. My toys to Batool. And please, do not yell at my brother Ahmed, please follow these wishes.”

Rasha’s will, written before she died in Gaza (Courtesy of Asem Alnabih)

Source: article by Asem Alnabih, Rasha's uncle who added: "No one in the family knew anything about a will from my 10-year-old niece Rasha, not until after we buried her in the same grave as her brother, Ahmed, aged 11, with half their faces gone as a result of an Israeli air strike on their home on September 30, 2024. This happened exactly 24 years to the day when 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah was killed in Gaza. (...) None of us in the family understands why a child so young wrote a will with her final wishes to distribute her belongings to her loved ones. What was going on in her mind? We know the past 12 months have been extremely traumatic for Palestinians, young and old, but why was Rasha convinced that she was going to die?"

"Considering half the 2.3 million population of Gaza are under 18, how many more children in Gaza are having such thoughts? While Rasha’s will has now gone viral on social media platforms, there are likely many more such wills lying lost in the rubble."