Gaza teen turns forbidden phone into wartime livestream for the world

Eman Lulu grew up in Gaza under a strict rule that denied her a personal phone until she finished school, a policy her mother Beirut upheld for years. On her 18th birthday the family bought her a new iPhone, which she soon used to film the destruction of their 300-year-old home and the daily hardships of life under bombardment. A video of the family traveling on a donkey cart went viral, quickly amassing millions of followers as foreign journalists were kept out of the region.

The attention forced Eman to balance spontaneous, often humorous content with the expectation to document war atrocities, leading to criticism and psychological pressure. Support from her parents, especially her father Hussam who helped secure signal on the rooftop, kept her posting, while experts warn that such burdens are especially heavy for adolescents. Despite the fame, the family maintains a nightly ritual of removing the phone before sleep, underscoring the device’s dual role as both lifeline and liability.