Hello everyone, I'm Alaa Khader Ziada from Gaza, Palestine. I moved to Egypt to receive medical treatment.

"Amid the rubble of Gaza, I would wake up to the sound of bombing, not an alarm clock, and to the screams of a mother, not the chirping of a bird. I would count my breaths between explosions, hugging my children in the corner of the room, as if my heart was trying to create a shield from my body that neither sadness nor shrapnel could penetrate.

Gaza taught me to grow up before my time, to understand death before I understood life, to smile through my tears so my mother wouldn't collapse. We would eat dry bread as if it were a holiday, and drink warm water as if we were on a picnic. All we had was the dream... carrying it like a picture in our pockets, or like a verse in our hearts.

Thank you to everyone who donated. We are now in Egypt. Thank you for all the kindness.❤️‍