Why Did They Kill Malak?

Writing from Gaza, Lujayn tells the story of her best friend, killed just before the ceasefire

This image of schoolgirls in Gaza depicts a friendship similar to the one shared by Lujayn and Malak. Shams Abuamra (right) celebrates with family members after passing the high school assessment exam with a score of 99.3% in the sciences (Khan Younis, Gaza, 11 July 2020). Photo by Mustafa Hassona. The Lighthouse Collective discussed including a photo of Malak here but her mother did not have a photo that she was willing to share with the world.

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Note from The Lighthouse Collective

The story that follows was originally written in Arabic by Lujayn, a 15-year-old writer in Gaza, about her best friend Malak. Lujayn currently resides in central Gaza, following the destruction of her home in Gaza City and several forced displacements from southern Gaza. This story was translated into English by The Lighthouse Collective, an international group of translators with roots in Gaza (founded by myself, Rebecca Ruth Gould). Lujayn’s chronicles of life in Gaza have appeared in The Nation and a shorter version of the story shared here first appeared in Al Jazeera on 23 March 2025. This is the definitive version of the story of Malak, with passages that were edited out by Al Jazeera restored here. You can read more stories from The Lighthouse Collective here (consider saving the list as it will be updated regularly as we release new stories of life in Gaza).

Malak was like a sister to me.

We were nine years old when we met at the Hamama School for Girls in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City. It was…