We are Bana Mustafa and Omar Mustafa, children from Gaza. We lived with our mom, Wissam Hamam and our dad, Mustafa , a mathematics teacher well known for his educational career. Mom graduated in medical laboratory sciences and worked to serve her country, while Dad gave his lessons with love and respect. With their hard work and savings, they managed to buy our home in installments and provide us with a decent life filled with warmth and safety.

We had everything simple but beautiful… Mom and Dad sacrificed so we could have a better future and grow up with dignity.

But the war took everything from us. We lost the home we had dreamed of, and we were displaced from one place to another, carrying nothing but our memories.

For more than a year and two months, we were separated from our dad—he was trapped in the north while we were in the south—living through unimaginable suffering on top of the war itself. At one point, even Mom was away from us for a whole month because of her health condition, which made our struggle even harder. And today, we are once again facing a new wave of displacement, with the suffering renewed all over again.

Now, we only dream of living a normal life again, like other children, with a home to shelter us and a future we can shape. Our story is not just about losing a house; it is the story of a family who once lived with dignity, and suddenly lost everything

We met Essa online before the War, he was teaching us English Language and we were so happy to learn it. Now! He helped us to stay a live.

……..

Birthday parties should be something normal for children everywhere. But in Gaza, it’s different… On August 24th, little Bana celebrated her 4th birthday. Her Mother ,Wesam,In Gaza, Even birthday makes children cry couldn’t hold back her tears—not out of sadness, but from overwhelming joy seeing everyone happy for Bana.

A simple cake, some children around, and songs made Bana feel like she was flying with happiness. She couldn’t believe it was all for her. She cried so much that it broke our hearts—because even joy feels too big to handle here.”