Mohammad Halimy | |
|---|---|
| ميدو حليمي | |
| Born | March 12, 2005 Gaza City, Palestine |
| Died | August 26, 2024(2024-08-26) (aged 19)[1] Khan Younis, Palestine |
| Cause of death | Struck byshrapnel fromIsraeli airstrike |
| Occupation(s) | Influencer, citizen journalist |
| Known for | Documenting theIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip andGaza war on social media |
Mohammad "Medo"Halimy (Arabic: ميدو حليمي; March 12, 2005 – August 26, 2024) was a Palestiniansocial media personality and blogger based in theGaza Strip.[2] He was known for his “tent life” videos documenting his experiences living in a camp for displaced Palestinians during theIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. He was killed on August 26, 2024, after he was hit by a shrapnel during an Israeli airstrike on Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis.[1]
Halimy was born and raised inGaza City, Palestine.[3] He was the son of Adi Al-Halimy.[4] He had four brothers and a sister.[5] Halimy was an alumnus United StatesDepartment of State’sKennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program which allows students from predominantly Muslim countries to live and study in the United States for an academic year. He was a student atHarker Heights High School inHarker Heights, Texas from 2021 to 2022.[1] In the summer of 2023, Halimy worked in the Gaza-BasedSpark charity.[2] Prior to October 7th 2023, Halimy was a student at Gaza'sAl-Azhar University, studying political science and economics.[4] On October 7th, 2023, Halimy’s family was displaced from their home in Gaza City at beginning of theGaza war. Throughout the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, his family was displaced multiple times, moving betweenKhan Younis andRafah. In late April 2024, they were sent back to Khan Younis following theinvasion of Rafah.[4] During this time, his grandmother has died due to medicine shortages from the ongoingblockade of the Gaza Strip.[5]
Halimy launched his TikTok account after fleeing with his family toMuwasi, the southern coastal area of Gaza that Israel had designated a humanitarian safe zone.[5] He gained a substantial following on Instagram and TikTok in the summer of 2024 through his vlogs that documented his daily life in Gaza in a camp for internally-displaced Palestinians.[4] He showcased his “tent life” which included sharing moments of joy during deadly conditions and limited internet access, as well as, how he did chores, secured food and managed boredom.[6][7] Halimy stated these vlogs were to show the resilience, strength, and survival of the Palestinian people. In addition to these daily vlogs, he also had a gardening series where he would plant seeds outside his tent to represent life.[1] Along with his collaborator Talal Murad, they created a joint Instagram page calledGazan Experience where they would answer user questions about how Gazans were living under the current conditions. Halimy was widely praised by viewers for finding small moments of joy amid the destruction around him.[1]
On August 26, 2024, Halimy was hit by a shrapnel during an Israeli airstrike on Gaza's southern city ofKhan Younis.[1] The fatal strike happened in a nearby street to Halimy and his collaborator Murad who were both hit by the deadly debris of the strike.[2][8] Murad describes a flaming car in front of them and seeing Halimy bleeding from his head. It took 10 minutes for a car to arrive.[5] He was filmed by anNBC News crew as he was rushed to the intensive care unit of Khan Younis’Nasser Hospital however, hours later, he succumbed to his injuries and died.[1]
His death catalyzed an outpouring of grief on social media, where followers expressed shock and sadness at his death due to the close personal connections they had formed with him due to his videos.[5][9]
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