– Shayma S
The press vest is too big for her. But that is the price of living in Palestine, where children are forced to grow up all too fast. Journalists and resistance leaders, not global politicians, are the local heroes, and many young girls and boys are turning to the power of social media to tell the stories of being Gazan under a brutal occupation. Through Instagram, meet 9-year-old Lama Jamous. She is a Gazan journalist reporting from the ground, with more than 161k followers on her Instagram. Her bio is simple – listing her name, age and that she is a Palestinian journalist.
The present and the future: Lama with Wael al-Dahdouh, Motaz Aziza and Bisan, journalists from Palestine. Photos Credit: Screengrab
In her videos, she sometimes interviews fellow children who are taking shelter from the Israeli bombing, while at other points, she has interviewed senior journalists like Wael al-Dahdouh. In the video, she says, she is interviewing “Uncle” Wael and asks him to share a message for the world. She is currently the youngest journalist in Gaza, returning memories of 2016 when Janna Jihad along with her cousin Ahed Tamimi would report from Nabi Saleh.
Only a day ago, Lama reported from Nasser Medical Complex where an airstrike left several wounded and one young woman dead. People have appreciated Lama for her courage as well as her composure. In one of her videos, she reports as the bombing continues and can be heard in the background.
