Ethne Dennis

Ahmed Al-Tahrawi was born and raised in Nuseirat Refugee Camp in central Gaza. After graduating from Alexandria University’s Faculty of Medicine in Egypt in 2022, he returned home to begin his career as a physician. When the war started in October 2023, he was just 26 years old, and immediately volunteered full-time, without pay, in Gaza’s emergency departments, treating victims of bombings and drone strikes, many of them children. instagram.com/ahmadddtt96 Over nearly two years, he worked in several hospitals and clinics, including more than a year and a half in the emergency department at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, surviving three separate bombings while on duty. He also spent time in the pediatric emergency department at Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah before it was destroyed, cared for patients in displacement camps, and even accompanied injured children and babies in ambulances between hospitals. Everyone who has worked with him describes not only his medical ability but also his remarkable compassion and calmness with frightened patients. During the war, Ahmed also developed a much deeper interest in public health after witnessing outbreaks of deadly preventable diseases, including Hepatitis A, spreading rapidly through overcrowded camps. He realized that while treating patients one at a time was important, improving public health systems could save countless more lives. Ahmed has now been accepted into the 12-month Master of Public Health program at Aberdeen University in Scotland, one of the UK's leading universities. Studies begin January 17 2027. He is fundraising for the cost of tuition (£23,000) and the cost of living for 12 months (£14,000). This must be paid in advance to facilitate the evacuation. The only way people are currently able to leave Gaza is through medical evacuations for war injuries and cancer, or university-facilitated evacuations. For him, this represents far more than an academic opportunity. It is a chance to continue serving others through public health, receive treatment for his worsening keratoconus (a degenerative cornea disease which has already left the vision in his right eye severely impaired and completely blurred, which is why he stopped working as a physician), and rebuild a future after unimaginable circumstances. As a student in the UK, he would have access to treatment through the NHS’s universal healthcare system, giving him a realistic chance of preserving his remaining vision. He was supposed to have laser eye surgery to fix his keratoconus in December 2023, but Israel bombed and destroyed all the advanced eye surgery equipment before he could have his procedure. And no new advanced medical equipment has been allowed in for years. While he’s there, Dr. Ahmed plans to take the Occupational English Test (OET) and the PLAB exams, which are required to obtain a medical license in the UK. This would allow him to work as a doctor in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and would also support his pathway toward practicing in the Republic of Ireland. Having a master’s degree from a prestigious university like Aberdeen would also greatly improve his chances of finding a job in the field of general practice and public health, which are the areas he’s dreaming of working in. Please support this generous selfless young physician to escape Gaza, and restart his life after immense loss and trauma. Dr. Ahmad has done so much to help his people and saved countless lives, lets all show up for him as an international community.

Hello all, my name is Ethne Dennis. I am a Jewish woman from Los Angeles and have been involved in Palestine activism for about 10 years. This fundraiser is for my friend Hatem Al-Najjar, a 28-year-old widowed father of five children. His wife, Areej, along with her mother and sisters, were killed in a bombing in April 2024. We met shortly after she was killed, and I have been by his side since then. Becoming a single father, he has done everything for his kids. On August 4, 2025, during the peak of the famine, Hatem went in search of food for his family at the "American Aid Depot." There, he was shot in the leg by an explosive bullet, taking inches of flesh and bone out of his shin. He has been suffering from this injury for over a year, and has tried desperately to get a medical evacuation with no success. As of late August 2026, Hatem is in the hospital in critical condition, awaiting surgery to save his leg. He is in and out of consciousness, and needs surgery A.S.A.P. Before the war, Hatem worked as a florist, bringing beauty to the people of Gaza. He and his wife, Areej, were high school sweethearts, and he told me he always brought the most beautiful flower for her every day after work. They were so proud of their family, and had a wonderful life all together. Let us honor Areej by supporting her children and husband. Thank you so much. Funds will be sent to my bank account here in California, and then I will distribute to Hatem through PayPal, or direct bank transfer to Bank of Palestine.