Azeez Al-Shaair honors another Palestinian child despite NFL warnings

• Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has continued using the black strips beneath his eyes to honor Palestinian children killed in Gaza, most recently paying tribute to 10-year-old Amal Abu Khater.
• His previous tributes included Hind Rajab, Wafaa Akila and sisters Lana and Bana Ahmad, all of whom were killed in ‘Israeli’ attacks on the Gaza strip.
• The NFL fined Al-Shaair $11,941 for displaying Hind Rajab’s name and later warned him to remove Wafaa Akila’s name or risk being barred from continuing to play.

 Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has continued paying tribute to Palestinian children killed in Gaza, writing their names on the black strips beneath his eyes during NFL games despite penalties and warnings from the league.

His latest tribute honored 10-year-old Amal Abu Khater, who was reportedly killed in August 2026 after being shot in the back while eating inside her family’s displacement tent in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.

Al-Shaair’s gesture continues a series of tributes intended to draw attention to the deaths of Palestinian children during Israel’s war on Gaza.

The children Al-Shaair has honored

Hind Rajab, 5

Al-Shaair wrote Hind’s name on his eye black during Houston’s Sep. 13, 2026, game against the Buffalo Bills, prompting the NFL to fine him $11,941. Hind was killed in January 2024 after ‘Israeli’ forces fired on the vehicle carrying her and members of her family in Gaza. She initially survived and spent hours on the phone with Palestine Red Crescent Society paramedics seeking rescue, only to be shot with more than 300 bullets later by ‘Israeli’ forces. Six family members were also killed. Her final calls became internationally known and inspired the film The Voice of Hind Rajab.

Wafaa Akila, 8

A week after honoring Hind, Al-Shaair wore Wafaa’s name during the Texans’ Sep. 20 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Wafaa was killed alongside her father in an ‘Israeli’ strike on their vehicle on Sep. 6, reportedly as they were traveling to collect supplies after her first day of school. Al-Shaair was instructed to remove her name or risk being barred from continuing to play. He complied and was not fined for that incident.

Lana Ahmad, 12, and Bana Ahmad, 8

On Sep. 27, Al-Shaair displayed the names of the two sisters during a game against the Indianapolis Colts. The girls were killed with their parents in an ‘Israeli’ airstrike on their family’s home in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, after the family returned to the house for a visit following periods of displacement. The attack killed the entire family, according to Palestinian media reports.

Amal Abu Khater, 10

Al-Shaair’s latest tribute honored Amal, who was shot in the back while eating inside her family’s displacement tent in Khan Yunis on Aug. 24, 2026, according to medics and relatives cited by Reuters. She was taken to Nasser Hospital, where she died.