Welcome, generous soul. 

Thank you for being here. Your presence alone is a powerful act of care.

My name is Melissa, and I’m based in Philadelphia, U.S. I’m raising funds for my friend, Dr. Wafaa, a young dentist in northern Gaza whose home, clinic, and entire way of life were destroyed by the occupation. She is part of a family of 17, including six young children.

For the past 20 months, I’ve been transferring funds directly to families in Gaza using secure, reliable methods. Every donation made here will go directly to Wafaa so she and her loved ones can meet their most urgent needs: food, shelter, and basic survival.

Wafaa is part of an extraordinary family of eight siblings— nurses, lawyers, students, and therapists. Each of them has lost nearly everything. Their homes are gone. Their jobs are gone. Their schools are gone. Her grandmother was killed, her grandfather is going blind from malnutrition, and their main source of income, Wafaa’s newly opened dental clinic, was bombed to the ground just two months after opening.

While she dreams of rebuilding, that is not the immediate priority. The focus now is to help her family survive.

Below is Wafaa’s story in her own words. Please take a moment to read and share it.

"Hello my friends

I want to introduce you to my beautiful family

First, we are a family of 4 girls and 4 boys. We used to live in a beautiful house with a beautiful garden in the northern Gaza Strip. We had a car, but they were all bombed in this war. When the truce came, we tried to remove the rubble and set up tents out of cloth and lived in them. When the war returned, we no longer had a glimmer of hope, as the tents were destroyed and we were displaced from our tents. A person from my family hosted us in an old house that the occupation had burned and is no longer suitable for living in. But there is no alternative, as my eyesight and vision are tired from the darkness and burning.

-My older sister, Iman, 34 years old, she works as a nurse in an Indonesian hospital. Her house was damaged in the war. She has three children and has been unable to bring any food for them.

-My sister, the lawyer, Asmahan, 32 years old, she had her house bombed, her husband lost his job, and she and her children were injured in this war.

-My sister, Ibtisam, 30 years old, she a physical therapist, also lost her job in this war and has not received any job opportunities.

-I, Dr. Wafaa, 28 years old, I lost my clinic in this war, and my work has also come to a standstill.

-My older brother, the lawyer Mustafa, 26 years old, he lost his job and has not received any job opportunities.

-My brothers, Mohammed, Yazan, and Ahmed, 24, 22, 20 years old, are all university students. Their university was bombed, and their education has been halted for the past two years.

My grandmother and grandfather were with us. My grandmother died during this war due to the gas bombs the occupation forces dropped on us.

My grandfather remained ill and unable to move due to malnutrition. We need an eye operation to prevent him from losing sight in his other eye.

I have lost many members of my family, colleagues, and friends. I hope, if you can, to eventually help me rebuild my dental clinic that was destroyed and our houses, car, everything we have also destroyed by this genocide. This dental clinic was the money source of my family. Please help me to build it again if you can…

Thanks."

Urgent Need for Relocation

Part of this fundraiser will also go toward helping Wafaa and her family relocate to the south of Gaza, where they hope to find temporary safety. They urgently need transportation funds and materials to set up shelter or secure a room to rent. This is time-sensitive and critical.

If you’d like to reach us directly:

Wafaa – @dr.wafaaalzeti

Mustafa – @mustafa_al_zaty.99

Melissa – @mmortars_

Thank you for showing up. Your support helps this family survive.

Warmly,

Melissa