13-year-old Gaza gamer's YouTube dream comes true after his death; hits over 1 million subscribers

13-year-old Awni Eldous' dreams came true after his death. In a video posted in August 2022, he held a microphone and smiles as he declared his ambitions for his YouTube gaming channel. Nearly 1.5 million people have subscribed to his YouTube channel.

13 year old Gaza gamer YouTube dream comes true after his death hits over 1 million subscribers gcw

Team Asianet Newsable

First Published Dec 25, 2023, 3:08 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 25, 2023, 3:08 PM IST

13-year-old Awni Eldous was trying to build a following on his YouTube channel before he was killed in an Israeli air attack in Gaza. After his death, people have helped to achieve his dream of reaching 1 million subscribers on YouTube. His channel currently has 1.49 million subscribers.

Eldous, a well-known computer and gamer, released a video in August of last year in which he thanked his followers for assisting his channel in reaching 1,000 subscribers and stated his final objective. "I am Awni Eldous, a Palestinian from Gaza. I am 12 years old," he said in the video. He further said, "The goal of this channel is to reach 100,000 subscribers. And 500,000, then 1 million, and - God willing - to reach 10 million subscribers with your support and love."

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Just over a year later, Awni became one of the first Palestinian children to be killed in the war. According to family members, on October 7, only hours after Hamas fighters broke across the border into Israel, murdering almost 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 more, an Israeli attack targeted Awni's family home.

Awni's video now has millions of views - and other videos in which he voicelessly plays computer games have millions more. Nearly 1.5 million people have subscribed to his YouTube channel.

To many, this 13-year-old gamer has become a kind of symbol, representing the loss of children in the Gaza Strip. "Please forgive us," reads one comment on his video. "I wish we knew you before you died."

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Over 20,000 people have died in Gaza since the start of the conflict, according to the health ministry operated by Hamas, with over one-third of those dead being minors. It's been called the "most dangerous place in the world to be a child" by UNICEF, the organisation that works with children.

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