Sama Berqenie
Age 16
Sama was 16 years old, an only child, spoiled by her parents but with a kind heart and always optimistic. Before the Israeli military cut all of Gaza's electricity, she and her best friend would talk on the phone for hours, planning all the things they wanted to do together. After this, those calls became desperate check-ins to see if the other was still alive, whenever they could find a way to charge their phones.
Sama's family was trying to reach safety in Rafah, like almost every family in northern Gaza. The Israeli military had ordered civilians to move south. But the routes were under bombardment, and reports were spreading about children and babies being shot at checkpoints and families murdered on the roads. Going south was not a simple evacuation. It was a gamble. So Sama and her parents decided to wait for the violence to calm down, then head south when it was safe enough to move. They stayed in their home, holding onto the hope that the killing would slow down long enough for them to run.
On the morning of December 5, 2023, their house was suddenly bombed. They all survived. After checking to make sure they were alright, Sama and her parents hurried in fear to grab white flags—anything white they could find and hold up to show that they were innocent. Then they fled outside.
A memorial written by one of Sama's friends reads: 'I came out of my house with a white banner in my hands, believing Israeli soldiers would see that I am a civilian and spare me. Instead I was murdered.' A man shot her directly in the chest. Her parents were forced to run. They could not stop to carry her, as the men continued shooting at them.
Sama's body lay alone. Her white flag was still beside her. For five days, the girl who had talked for hours on the phone with her best friend, who had been full of dreams and plans, lay where she fell, and no one could reach her.
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