In a poignant and heart-wrenching opinion piece for Al Jazeera, Palestinian educator Hassan El-Nabih offers a glimpse into the profound human tragedy unfolding in besieged Gaza, using a single, seemingly trivial anecdote about his daughter as a powerful symbol of defiance. Published on August 30, 2025, the article, titled “The rebellion of my daughter in besieged Gaza,” recounts a moment of pure, unadulterated joy in the midst of unimaginable suffering. His 30-year-old daughter, Yasmin, who has special needs, approached him with eyes “glittering with joy,” her face radiant. “Dad…, I ate…chocolate!” she announced, her words a triumphant declaration against the forced starvation of her people.
The moment, however, was not what it seemed. El-Nabih, startled and confused, asked where she had found chocolate, a food item that has been all but absent from the markets in Gaza for months. Yasmin, with a smile that “lit up with more delight,” gently shook her head and clarified: “No, no, Dad. I…didn’t eat…chocolate. I said…I dreamed!”
This simple yet devastating revelation is at the heart of El-Nabih’s powerful narrative. He describes the daily struggle of living in a school-turned-shelter, where his once comfortable home was reduced to rubble by an Israeli airstrike. The destruction of their house also meant the loss of Yasmin’s “kingdom,” a room filled with toys, books, and a computer that helped her manage her developmental disability. The family now sleeps on a thin mattress in a cramped and chaotic environment, and they struggle to find her medications, toys, or even the most basic food. The lack of nourishment has become a serious problem for everyone in Gaza; El-Nabih notes that everyone he knows has become thinner, and his wife and he have suffered from spells of dizziness. More than 315 Palestinians, half of them children, have already died as a result of the forced starvation.
Amid this brutal reality, Yasmin’s dream of chocolate is presented as a profound act of “rebellion.” El-Nabih writes that Yasmin, “a young woman with special needs, was not aware of the political meaning of her dream.” Yet, for him, her simple act of dreaming about an unreachable comfort—and finding such immense joy in that dream—is an act of defiant hope against the atrocities of the war. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of a deliberate campaign of starvation and dehumanization.
The article is a microcosm of a larger tragedy. It stands as a powerful counter-narrative to the dehumanizing statistics of war, offering a deeply personal and emotional account of one family’s struggle. It humanizes the victims of the conflict, reminding the world that behind the numbers are real people with dreams, hopes, and sorrows. Yasmin’s dream of chocolate is not just a personal story; it is a political statement, a quiet but potent act of defiance that asserts a right to life, dignity, and even small moments of joy in a world that seems determined to deny them.
21 Bullet Points on Hassan El-Nabih’s Opinion Piece (August 30, 2025)
- A Palestinian educator, Hassan El-Nabih, wrote an opinion piece for Al Jazeera.
- The article, titled “The rebellion of my daughter in besieged Gaza,” was published on August 30, 2025.
- The piece focuses on his 30-year-old daughter, Yasmin, who has special needs.
- Yasmin is described as having a developmental disability after a severe fever at four months old.
- The family was displaced after an Israeli airstrike destroyed their home in October 2023.
- Their home was in the al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.
- They are now living in a crowded school-turned-shelter with no privacy.
- The family has lost all of their belongings, including Yasmin’s toys and computer.
- The article details the widespread forced starvation in Gaza.
- El-Nabih states that many basic food items, including chocolate, are unavailable.
- He notes that he and his wife have suffered from spells of dizziness due to a lack of nourishment.
- Yasmin has lost a lot of weight and her health has deteriorated.
- According to the author, over 315 Palestinians have died from forced starvation.
- El-Nabih recounts a moment when his daughter told him she had “eaten chocolate.”
- He later learns that Yasmin’s joyous claim was not a reality but a dream.
- El-Nabih describes his daughter’s dream as a “rebellion” against atrocities.
- The article emphasizes the resilience and defiant hope of the Gazan people.
- Yasmin’s story is a personal account of the broader humanitarian crisis.
- The article humanizes the victims of the conflict beyond mere statistics.
- El-Nabih notes that his daughter, in her innocence, was not aware of the political weight of her dream.
- The piece is a powerful commentary on the ongoing suffering and the will to survive in Gaza.
Separate Answer: When, Where, Why, and Who
When
The opinion piece was published on August 30, 2025. The events described in the article take place during the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with the family’s displacement occurring in October 2023.
Where
The author and his family are currently located in a school-turned-shelter in Gaza, having been forcibly displaced from their home in the al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. The article was published on Al Jazeera.
Why
Hassan El-Nabih wrote the article to provide a deeply personal and humanizing perspective on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The primary purpose is to illustrate the profound impact of the conflict on a single family and to highlight the resilience of the human spirit. He frames his daughter’s simple dream of chocolate as a symbolic act of “rebellion” and “defiant hope” against the immense suffering and deprivation caused by the siege.
Who
- The Author: Hassan El-Nabih, a Palestinian educator and writer from Gaza.
- The Daughter: Yasmin, his 30-year-old daughter with special needs.
- The Publication: Al Jazeera, which published the opinion piece.