She Was Just 5Years Old and Loved to Make Crafts

In the early hours of Friday, June 13, 2025, Israeli missile strikes hit a ten-story residential building in Tehran’s Chamran neighborhood. Two children, Ayma and Hilda Zeinali, were killed along with their father, Alireza Zeinali. Their mother was the only member of the family to survive the blast.

Ayma was a bright, creative, and determined girl. From the age of four, she was a member of the Children and Adolescents Intellectual Development Center (Kanun) in Tafresh, where her love of making things came to life. At a memorial service held at the center, her mother — strong, steadfast, and full of love — spoke to the children gathered there: “When I look at each and every one of you, I feel at peace. You are all my sons and daughters now.”

Then, she introduced Ayma in words only a mother can say:

“Ayma was incredibly creative. She always loved making crafts. Since she was three years old, our house was filled with colorful paper, glue, and scissors. She had a big table covered with watercolor sets, crayons, and gouache. She used to watch the program Creative Galaxy and make the exact same crafts that Artie made on the show.”

But creativity wasn’t her only gift: “She was also brave. When she made a decision — right or wrong — she stood by it. She owned her choices, her beliefs, and their consequences. Ayma means ‘our moon.’ Even before she was born, we said she would be the moon of our lives. Now, she has become the moon of all of Iran.” Her mother ended her speech with a bright hope: “I am alive now for one reason only: that the children of my country may live in peace and security. The blood of my four-year-old Ayma and Hilda will only be respected if every child in this land can grow up in security.”