My name is Khaled Zeyada, I’m 21 years old, I’m a student of information technology, and I live in the Gaza Strip.

My life has been extremely difficult for the past 2 years. My livelihood and my dreams were torn into pieces, my hopes and expectations were destroyed, and many of the people I loved the most were killed.

But I’m very thankful for my family: we were always close and loving.

My older brothers Bilal and Ahmed blessed us with my nieces and nephews: Shaimaa, 8, Mohammed, 7, Ali, 5, Bilal, 2, Mohammed, 6, Hour, 2, and Fares, who’s 2 days old.

The hardship of war prompted me focus on what really matters: love, peace, solidarity, hope, faith, and the beauty of the tiny, fleeting moments of happiness.

I got engaged to a woman, we’re going to get married soon, and I’d like the wedding to be a traditional Palestinian wedding. Which means a moment of joy and love for my family, my fiancee’s family, and all of our friends. This includes you.

After 2 years in a war zone, after seeing our house destroyed, our whole city of Rafah destroyed, after losing so many of my cousins, uncles, aunts, to killings at the hands of the occupation, after inhaling plastic smokes every time I cook, after stomach cramps when I go to sleep because of hunger because I don’t eat every day, of back pain in the morning because I sleep in a tent with no mattress, only a couple blankets between me and the floor, of a whole life of never leaving the Gaza Strip and not knowing anything but life under occupation, I’ve finally got some happy news in my life: I’m getting married.

My whole family is very excited, and so is my fiancee’s. I’d like this party to be a bubble of love and happiness, so that our families’ thoughts escape from the war and the occupation for one day. Would you help me to make this a reality?

I will of course happily share all the photos and videos with you after the ceremony.

I need your help to secure:

➡️ What we need for a beautiful traditional wedding ceremony, with outfits for the bride and the groom,

➡️ The food we need for the following celebrations. I’m in a family of 18 people, including 7 young children. My bride is in a family of a similar size. We would like to have 50 people taking part in the celebrations.

Even $5 or $10 can help me take one small step toward a day that will help all of us to hold on to hope and to think of a happier future.

If you’ve already donated, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

If you can share my story again today — even with just one group or one friend — it could make all the difference.

Thank you for reading, thank you for your support, it means much more than you can imagine to me. From the bottom of my heart, I thank every person who has helped us in this time of unimaginable hardship. Your kindness, compassion, and generosity are a lifeline for my family.

Please keep my fiancee, me and our families in your thoughts and prayers.❤️

Fundraiser organized by Fabio Manganiello, a friend of Khaled