Yasmin Aliwa
Age 17
Yasmin had been her best friend’s partner ever since they first started elementary school. Her friend described her as the one person who made her feel safe, who could comfort her with words, and who always believed in the beauty of life. On the day Yasmin died, she and her best friend had argued and then reconciled while sitting in the cafe. They took pictures together next to the flowers and gave each other flower nicknames.
Yasmin, like countless thousands of other children, wanted to leave Gaza. She wanted to cross into Egypt but was not allowed to. To build a path out herself, she was studying for the “Tawjihi” exam—the last high school exams required for university admission abroad. That was her only way to get a scholarship and a shot at life. When she mentioned wanting to go to a cafe to study, an acquaintance abroad warned her not to because social gathering places were being targeted on purpose. But Yasmin went anyway, saying she had to have the internet connection to prepare for her final exams because it was her only chance to travel. She said she would stay inside after that.
On June 30, 2025, at approximately 3:00 PM, an Israeli trooper spotted families relaxing at the Al-Baqa Cafe in western Gaza City and decided to drop a guided, 500-pound U.S.-made bomb onto the awning cover of the cafe where people were eating lunch and using the cafe internet. The horrific explosion left a massive crater where people were sitting, incinerating, breaking bones and eardrums, slicing, and tearing the limbs off almost 100 parents and kids.
Yasmin was under the awning, studying hard for her final exam when the man murdered everyone around her. Her best friend survived because she happened to arrive a few minutes late, having been scolded to do chores by her father. She found Yasmin bleeding out in the rubble and held her as she died unconscious in her arms. After Yasmin’s death, her best friend became hopelessly depressed. She has dreamed of running in front of drones, waving her arms, and begging to be killed, knowing the men on the other end would love to. Yasmin was born on October 28, 2007. She was 17.
The votes that paid for the weapons
Joint Resolution, S.J.Res. 33: Block arms sale to Israel—2000-lb bombs (reattempt)
House Bill, H.R. 8034: Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024
House Bill, H.R. 815 (Senate): National Security Supplemental—Trojan Horse (shell: Veterans bill)