Rola Abdul Jawad (Rulā ‘Abd al-Jawād) (رولا عبد الجواد), age 29, had held an appointment in the Department of Computer Engineering at Gaza University and offered courses in multimedia studies at several other universities in Gaza. She was also continuing to develop her career as a graphic designer in the international freelance market. 

Ms. Abdul Jawad received her B.A. in Computer Engineering, after which she took a position as a lecturer at Gaza University. She continued her own training at the Women’s Affairs Center in Gaza, where she focused on graphic design and subsequently built a career as a freelance designer. She was a strong advocate for female employment and encouraged other young women to enter the international freelance market because it offered opportunities for a well remunerated and flexible work life. 

Her close friend Rama Khalil Ayash remembered Ms. Abdul Jawad as someone “with a beautiful smile and eyes filled with the love of life.” She was ambitious and lived her personal mantra of “you will be what you desire one day.” She had elegant tastes and loved to shop and get new manicures. She very much wanted to travel, but like many young people of her age she had never been able to leave Gaza. Her natural ebullience dimmed during the Israeli attacks, and in her final post she wrote: “Those who survived are the ones who died.”

Ms. Abdul Jawad was killed, along with her sister, on 25 November 2023 in Gaza City by an Israeli bombardment.