• Ten-year-old Renad Ataullah from Gaza has gained over 807K Instagram followers with her cooking videos, which provide hope to children amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
• Managed by her older sister Nourhan, Renad’s content reflects the harsh reality of life in the Gazan camps, including severe rationing and the scarcity of basic necessities.
Meet Ten-year-old Renad Ataullah from Deir el-Balah, central Gaza. She has garnered a global following of over 807K on Instagram. Her cooking posts, widely popular within Gaza, have become a symbol of hope for the children of Gaza, enduring the devastating effects of the Israeli onslaught. Renad’s radiant smile and remarkable resilience offer a glimmer of optimism amidst the turmoil. Moreover, Renad Palestinian resilience has provided many around the world with important life lessons.
Renad’s passion for cooking predates the October 7th, as she avidly watched cooking videos. However, when matters in Gaza escalated, she began cooking with her family, using the limited ingredients available, often from aid packages consisting of mostly dried goods and canned food.
Now, deprived of formal education for a year, Renad shelters with her mother and sisters, sharing a cramped space with other displaced families in Deir el-Balah, a target of heavy Israeli bombardment.
“I became famous by accident!” Renad exclaims, referring to a viral video in which her sheer delight at finding sugar in an aid package captured hearts worldwide.
Renad’s older sister, Nourhan, a 25-year-old pharmacist, manages her sister’s content and oversees her Instagram account.
The sisters recall the early days of Israel’s offensive when Deir el-Balah faced severe shortages of flour, canned goods, and vegetables, with bakeries bombed or non-operational. Left with nothing but flour, the family resorted to baking bread in makeshift mud ovens.
“Everyone learned to ration quickly,” Nourhan recalls. “We are a family of 10, so if there were 20 pieces of bread, each person got two, to eat either at once or throughout the day.” The arrival of food aid boxes, she says, felt “like treasure.” Many of Renad’s cooking videos now focus on creating meals from these limited supplies, the “Gazan way” as she is famous for saying.
Renad also uses her platform to highlight the struggles of displaced Gazans, including the scarcity of water and essential groceries. “For instance, when fresh water was difficult to obtain, Renad mentioned it in one of her videos,” Nourhan explains. “We try to reflect the ongoing situation in her content.”
Renad on the evening of Iran’s strike against Israel:
