Lamar Deeb lived in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, and dreamed of becoming a nurse and travelling the world.
Lamar was described by friends as someone who found peace in everyday activities. She enjoyed going to school, meeting up with friends, and making vlogs documenting her daily life which she broadcast on her YouTube channel, Ana Lamar (I am Lamar). She was known for always having her camera to hand.
Lamar’s sister Lubna described her as “the kind of person who always found a reason to smile. She was really funny. She also held out hope that everything was going to be better. She dreamed of travelling the world, stepping out of this small spot, even though she was afraid of the dark and being alone.”
Lamar’s home was described as a cosy sanctuary, with a shady garden perfumed with the scent of lemons, palm and olive trees. It provided shelter for stray cats and had a passageway that offered children a place to ride their bikes.
After the beginning of the war in October 2023, Lamar’s home became a refuge for 28 Palestinian families displaced from the north of Gaza. Lamar took it upon herself to try to entertain the many children now living in her house. She organised games, sang national songs, and did her best to keep the children’s minds off the sounds of the ambulances and war around them. The people living in her house called her ‘the fruit of the building’ – an expression reflecting the warmth she brought to those around her.
Despite the harsh and dangerous conditions around her, Lamar continued to plan for a better future and wanted to help others. On 30 July, Lamar and her sister Lubna visited the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent centre near al-Ataya Hill to ask about becoming volunteers. While she was there, Lamar got talking with a foreign doctor who represented everything she aspired to be.
The following day, 31 July, was Lamar’s brother’s 22nd birthday. By this point, the family had been displaced from their home and were living in a tent near al-Ataya Hill. Lubna recalled hearing missile fragments landing around their tent that morning, and the family’s feeling of helplessness. Eventually, a missile directly hit the tent and Lamar was killed by a missile fragment which pierced her heart.
Her body was taken to the ICRC centre she had visited the day before. She was 15.
An academic study based on population surveys across Gaza has estimated that between 7 October 2023 and 5 January 2025, 75,200 Palestinians were killed as a direct result of the conflict. Of these, 56 per cent are estimated to be women, children or elderly civilians. These figures do not include ‘indirect’ deaths from the conflict, for example deaths from lack of access to food or healthcare.