NFL star Azeez Al-Shaair honours Palestinian girl killed in Gaza

NFL star Azeez Al-Shaair has responded to being fined for honouring Palestinian child Hind Rajab by taking to the field with the name of another young Palestinian killed by Israel in Gaza.

The Houston Texans linebacker wore "Wafaa Akila" across his eye black during Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, days after the NFL fined him $11,941 for displaying Hind's name during a match against the Buffalo Bills.

Wafaa was eight years old when she and her father were killed in an Israeli attack in western Gaza City on 6 September 2026, her first day of school, despite a "ceasefire" in the devastated territory supposedly in place since October 2025.

The pair were travelling home when an Israeli drone struck their car, leaving it burned and charred. Only a handful of pages from Wafaa's schoolbooks survived.

Hours earlier, the eight-year-old had been photographed smiling as she prepared for her first day at school.

Al-Shaair shared posts about Wafaa and her mother's reaction to her killing on Instagram on Sunday.

After the Texans' game, footage shared online showed the 29-year-old interacting on the sidelines with children, including amputees and others wearing keffiyehs and carrying signs in support of him.

'What's a life worth?'

Al-Shaair has remained defiant over the penalties imposed for his Palestine advocacy.

Asked about the $11,941 fine last week, the Muslim American player dismissed its significance compared with the lives of Palestinian children.

"It's bigger to me; what's a life worth? Is a life worth $11,000? No, I think it's priceless," he told reporters.

NBA star Kyrie Irving later offered to cover the penalty, with Al-Shaair confirming that the two had been in contact.

Hind Rajab was five years old when she was killed in Gaza in January 2024 after Israeli forces opened fire on her family's car.

Her desperate calls for help while trapped inside the vehicle, surrounded by the bodies of her relatives, drew international attention to her killing. Her story later became the subject of an Oscar-nominated docudrama.

Repeated penalties over Gaza

Al-Shaair has previously been penalised by the NFL over his advocacy.

Earlier this year, he was fined for wearing the words "Stop The Genocide" on tape across his nose. Although the message did not name a particular conflict, it was widely understood to refer to Gaza and Sudan.

The linebacker has repeatedly spoken out for Palestinians and travelled to Jordan during the summer to spend time with Palestinian refugees.

Prominent American Muslim scholar Omar Suleiman praised Al-Shaair for continuing to use his platform to highlight the plight of Palestinian children.

"My brother, who went to Jordan to be with Palestinian refugees this summer, who spends time with Palestinian children with missing limbs in Houston, who is using every week of his Pro Bowl NFL career to honour a Palestinian child despite the fines," Suleiman wrote.

The gestures come amid a devastating toll on children from Israel's war on Gaza. At least 21,500 children have been killed since October 2023, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, while 90% of the enclave's schools have been damaged or destroyed.