A displaced Palestinian child shelters at a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Feb. 5, 2026. (Credit: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters)
Noor al-Yacoubi is a 27-year-old media coordinator at a local research center, translator and writer. She hasn't left the Gaza Strip since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, and has been sharing reflections on her life with L'Orient Today since the beginning of the war in Gaza and following the cease-fire.I was scrolling on social media late at night when I stopped suddenly.Among the endless images from Gaza, one photo froze me in place. It showed a teenage girl. Her eyes were wide, red and painfully stretched, almost bleeding. Her skin looked tight and unfamiliar, covered in thick, scale-like patches. My body went numb. Goosebumps rose on my arms.I didn’t know her name then. I only knew that her pain was visible, and that whatever she was carrying on her body was far heavier than what most people would ever be asked to endure. ...
Noor al-Yacoubi is a 27-year-old media coordinator at a local research center, translator and writer. She hasn't left the Gaza Strip since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, and has been sharing reflections on her life with L'Orient Today since the beginning of the war in Gaza and following the cease-fire.I was scrolling on social media late at night when I stopped suddenly.Among the endless images from Gaza, one photo froze me in place. It showed a teenage girl. Her eyes were wide, red and painfully stretched, almost bleeding. Her skin looked tight and unfamiliar, covered in thick, scale-like patches. My body went numb. Goosebumps rose on my arms.I didn’t know her name then. I only knew that her pain was visible, and that whatever she was carrying on her body was far heavier than what most people would ever be asked to endure. ...
