Aya and Abood having a picnic in a meadow in Gaza before the Israeli war on Gaza started on Oct.7 2023. (Photo taken from their mother's Facebook page/ Asmaa Mughari)
Her name was Aya, she was seven years old and her favorite color was pink.
She loved wearing flowery dresses and whenever she wanted to swim, her mom would take her and her little 4-year-old brother to the beach. His name was Abdallah, but they usually called him by his nickname, Abood.
Aya had dimples, which made her mom and her aunt Maria pinch her cheeks often. She adored kittens and liked painting her nails red, but only during holidays because they weren't allowed to wear nail polish at school.
When she left for school and Abood went to nursery, their mom would stand by the window and watch over them until they got safely onto the bus. Abood and Aya were certain that they had the best mom in the world and they made sure to let her know — and often.
Aya loved princesses and watching movies. Her favorite was Frozen because she thought it was “a bit funny.” She even had a dress like Elsa’s blue one, which her mom matched with a blue outfit for Abood so they could coordinate.
Aya wearing a blue dress. (Photo taken from the mother's Facebook page/ Asmaa Mughari)
Sometimes, they wore matching clothes just for fun.
Aya and Abood wearing matching colors. (Photo taken from the mother's Facebook page/ Asmaa Mughari)
Abood had a tendency to wander off, so during supermarket trips, their mom made sure they all held hands to avoid getting lost. Whenever they visited one of Gaza’s beaches, their mom would keep a close watch on Abood. He and Aya built sandcastles with their cousins and, although they sometimes fought, they mostly enjoyed building these small fortresses together.
Last summer, Aya broke her hand while playing and had to wear a cast. Her mom was devastated and wished it had been her hand instead. Despite the pain, Aya still managed to play in the sand, and her friends, neighbors, and cousins wrote “get well soon” messages on her cast and drew hearts and smiley faces, which made things a bit better.
Aya (left) wearing a cast, with her cousin, and brother Abood (left,) in Gaza city. (Photo taken from the mother's Facebook page/ Asmaa Mughari)
Her mom was always okay with them getting dirty and enjoying their time outdoors. On nice days, they would have picnics in a meadow.
The best day of her life was when she graduated from preschool and moved to first grade. Her mom straightened her curly hair and the school gave her a kindergarten graduation certificate with her photo on it. She kept asking her mom to show it to her and to let her hold it, though her mom advised against taking it out of the folder too often, in case it got damaged.
Her mom’s name is Asmaa, affectionately nicknamed Assouma. She told her daughter that there would be many more certificates to come — one for middle school, high school, and then college.
Aya's certificate from when she graduated from preschool. (Photo taken from the mother's Facebook page/ Asmaa Mughari)
Then, a few months after graduating preschool, the Israeli army bombed the building she was sheltering in.
She was killed along with 27 family members, including her baby brother Abood. They remained under the rubble for 29 days before rescuers found them. Her mother could not bear to see them, unable to handle the loss.
Source: The mother of Aya and Abood, Asmaa Mughari’s, Facebook page.
