About Iman

Our organization is named in honour of Iman Darweesh Al Hams (ايمان درويش الهمص), a Palestinian girl born in 1991.  Iman lived in Rafah, a town in the southern Gaza Strip.  On October 5th, 2004 the IDF commander of a Rafah command post ordered his men to shoot 13-year-old school girl, Iman, in spite of her being 70 meters away and identified as a child who posed no threat. The commander then walked out to the wounded child and at close range, emptied his automatic weapon into her head and body. The commander successfully defended himself in Israeli court with the claim that all 17 bullets from his gun struck Iman by accident. He was not convicted of any crime or otherwise held accountable for her homicide – and he was subsequently promoted.

Iman’s death symbolizes the long-standing culture of impunity under which Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces operates. Through our work, we seek to honour the life and memory of Iman and the thousands like her whose lives have been violently cut short under the Israeli occupation and genocide. Every project we support seeks to broaden global solidarity to confront and end the brutality inflicted on Palestinian lives. Each initiative is a step toward building lasting justice, peace and freedom.