The Curious Case of an Israeli School Shirt in Gaza

Over the past few weeks, a young girl named Rinad has become a social media sensation in Gaza. This 10-year-old has quickly risen to fame on TikTok and Instagram, sharing her daily life and recipes, while also documenting the airstrikes from the Israeli Defense Forces. This week, she posted a video of an orange cake she made, but one particular detail caught the eye of keen observers — something her older sister, Norhan, who manages her account, might have overlooked.

Norhan set up a crowdfunding campaign for Rinad to raise money so the family could leave Gaza. While some Gazans deny the grave events, attributing them to war, and voice criticisms against Israel, they inadvertently embarrass themselves time and again.

One of the viral videos is Rinad's crowdfunding attempt, where she wears a green school shirt featuring the logo of an Israeli primary school — Ben Gurion School in Rishon Lezion. It is unclear how the shirt ended up with her, but it is speculated to have been taken from a home during the chaos.

According to her, leaving Gaza costs about $5,000, so she is trying to raise $40,000. She has gathered 117,000 Instagram followers and another 45,000 on TikTok. Israelis were particularly struck by the shirt. "I am shocked by the shirt," and "Did the shirt come from humanitarian aid?" wrote some users in response to the surprising video. It's doubtful whether Rinad is aware of the Israeli text, but it underscores that Gazans still have items looted from Israelis.

A few days later, Norhan added: "Rinad, my little sister, suffers from severe psychological issues after she witnessed children being torn apart by an explosion at the start of the war, just in front of our home. I try to maintain her mental health by creating and posting content on Instagram to keep her from dwelling on the news. But maintaining her mental health is not enough, I want to ensure her safety too." Naturally, the shirt's issue went unaddressed.