Aya is a 23 year old mom living with her husband Hossam, and their little boy Hashem, who turned two in January. Hashem spent his first birthday sheltering in a tent, and while the family has since been able to return to their home in Khan Yunis, their roof is badly damaged from continuous bombing, exposing them to the rain and cold. Aya also recently discovered that she is pregnant with her second child, which has brought both great joy and tremendous anxiety. Aya and Hossam are now not only raising money to purchase food, diapers, and medicine for Hashem, but also to prepare for another baby while meeting their basic daily needs. To help support them as their family grows, we have created a virtual baby registry for Aya. Check it out here!

Dr. Abu Raida is 26 year old Palestinian physician who is trying to survive in Gaza with his family of eight, including two young children and his elderly parents. After first being displaced from their home to Khan Yunis, Dr. Abu Raida spent over 200 days volunteering in the ER and ICU at Nasser Hospital. When the hospital was bombarded, his family was forced to evacuate again, and again, and again. They have now been displaced for over a year, and until recently were living in a tent near Khan Younis. They unfortunately lost that tent in a bombing, and have spent the past few months separated from each other as they tried to secure new housing. Now that a ceasefire is in place, they will hopefully be able to reunite and work to rebuild their home. Despite the challenges he’s faced, Dr. Abu Raida continues to volunteer his time in the ER.

Kareem is a 22-year-old engineering student from Gaza City. His sister, Mais, is 17. Kareem and Mais's family home, which they completed building only 4 years ago, was destroyed by a bombing. The family, which includes Kareem, Mais, their 19-year-old brother Hussein, and their parents, has been displaced multiple times. They have struggled to find food, and on multiple occasions have resorted to eating one meal per day, which usually consists of nothing but bread. Despite this, Kareem continues his engineering studies online, finding internet where he can in between searching for food and survival supplies. He hopes to eventually purchase a solar panel, so the family can regularly charge their electronics and he can study without traveling as far. Since the ceasefire, he has been able to return to his home, but found that it was reduced almost completely to rubble. He now sleeps in a home without walls, surrounded by crumbled remnants of his old life, while his family continues to shelter in their tent until they can begin to rebuild.