A young journalist covers the war on social media

The bravest faces in conflict can sometimes come from the most unexpected places.  

In the ongoing conflict involving Gaza, the hardest hit populations have been women and children, thousands of whom are currently displaced, with no family or friends left to care for them.  

Close to the heart of the conflict, 9-year-old Lama Abu Jamous, along with her family, after being displaced from Gaza decided to make her voice heard. Armed with a phone and social media, she records her experiences, in her own words: 

“I am able to amplify the voices of the Palestinian children to the world,” Jamous says. 

She posts updates on Instagram and X, everyday life intertwined with fighting. Her family is currently displaced means she must move around often. 

In her first Instagram video a few months after the conflict started, she dawned a helmet and vest, saying, “I am ready to cover the war.” 

Whether it’s walking through the rubble of what used to be homes or through more familiar areas she used to frequent with her family, such as the beach or playground, she confidently goes from place to place, to keep people up to date with what’s going on.  

Her videos and interviews show thousands of people, trying to find a safe place to stay after fighting and bombardment, living in tents far from their homes. Without food or water, many are situated close together outside of cities.  

Her most popular Instagram videos feature her interviews with family members. She aspires to become a full-fledged journalist once she grows up. Inspired by her father who works for the Al Jazeera news outlet, she says in a video, “I love Journalism and holding the camera and Photographing people. I like to post videos related to the war on Instagram.” 

According to her uncle in a video on the Al Jazeera news site, Ahmad Abu Jamos, “Since Lama was very little, she has this lovely talent of engaging in discussions. She is a very social person. When the war started, we noticed she had something to say.” 

With her social media taking off, she is making her voice heard by more and more people in the hopes that she will soon be able to go home. 

She sends out a plea that, “I would like to convey my message to the whole world to end the war, which is affecting the children of Palestine who are suffering and starving. We don’t have food or water. We want to return to our homes and schools and be able to play with our friends again. Our message to the world, please stop the war.”