In a video uploaded in August 2022, he holds a microphone and smiles as he talks about his ambitions for the gaming channel on YouTube.
“Okay folks, let me introduce myself: I’m a 12-year-old Palestinian from Gaza. My goal with this channel is to reach 100,000 subscribers, or 500,000, or a million.”
He ends the video by saying “peace out” to his then 1,000 subscribers before exiting the picture.
A year later, Awni became one of the first Palestinian children killed in the war between Israel and Hamas. Relatives tell BBC that the family’s house was targeted by an Israeli attack on October 7, just hours after Hamas stormed the border with Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage.
Now after Awni’s death, his videos have received millions of views and the number of subscribers on the Youtube channel has reached almost 1.5 million – and it continues to grow.
Got no warning
Awni’s aunt Ala’a did not want to believe the message she received. It was when she got online that she saw a close family friend had shared a picture of her brother on social media. The text read: “Rest in peace”. 15 of Ala’a’s family members were killed that night. Awni and his father were two of them.
According to one of Awni’s uncles, named Mohammed, they did not receive any warning that an attack would take place in the area.
“Two bombs suddenly fell on top of the building and destroyed it. My wife and I were lucky to survive because we lived on the top floor,” he told the BBC.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 20,000 people have been killed since the war began. More than a third of them are said to be children.
“He wanted followers and fans”
Ala’a describes her nephew as a “very happy and confident guy who always kept the door open for her”. Outside of school, Awni loved spending time with his family and was passionate about computers and gaming. He looked up to big youtubers who could make a career out of his hobby.
“He wanted to be like them. He also wanted followers and fans,” says the aunt.
The comment section of the Youtube channel is full of warm greetings from all over the world, while Awni has become a symbol for the children who lost their lives in the Gaza Strip.
There you can read comments such as “Please forgive us” and “We wish we knew you before you died”. Another man writes “You did it bro. Now your channel has 1.5 million subscribers!”.