Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has continued using his NFL platform to remember Pales-tinian children killed in Ga-za, despite league penalties and restrictions on personal messages displayed during games. In Week 1, Al-Shaair wore the name Hind Rajab on his eye black. The five-year-old Pales-tinian girl was killed in Ga-za in 2024 after Israeli forces opened fire on the vehicle carrying her family. The NFL fined Al-Shaair $11,941 for the message.

In Week 2, Al-Shaair again displayed the name of a Pales-tinian child, this time writing Wafaa Akila on his eye black during Houston’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 20. Akila, 8, was killed alongside her father in an Israeli strike in Ga-za on September 6, according to reports. The strike occurred as she and her father were traveling to purchase school supplies after her first day of school.

According to a report by The Athletic cited by NBC Sports, a league official noticed Akila’s name during the game and told Al-Shaair he would have to remove it or would not be permitted to continue playing. Al-Shaair removed the name and, unlike the previous week, was not fined for the Week 2 message. The NFL’s rules prohibit players from displaying unapproved personal messages during games.

The latest incident follows an earlier dispute over Al-Shaair’s use of the phrase “Stop the Genocide” on his eye black during Houston’s playoff game against Pittsburgh in January. He was fined $11,593, and was later warned that displaying the same message during another playoff game could prevent him from playing. After the Hind Rajab fine, NBA star Kyrie Irving publicly offered to pay the penalty.

Al-Shaair has defended the tributes as a matter of humanity rather than politics. After being fined for honoring Hind Rajab, he questioned whether a child’s life could be measured against an $11,000 penalty, saying the value of a life was priceless. His continued tributes have now brought the names of Hind Rajab and Wafaa Akila to nationally televised NFL games, keeping attention on Pales-tinian children killed during the Ga-za genocide.