Dr. Avenal Elyan is an internship doctor from the Gaza Strip who completed her medical education under the unimaginable conditions of war.

Dr. Avenal E.

Dr. Avenal E. is an internship doctor from the Gaza Strip who completed her medical education under the unimaginable conditions of war.

Throughout her clinical training, she continued learning despite constant danger, displacement, hunger, and uncertainty. Lectures often took place on hospital floors, surrounded by the realities of conflict, while medical teams cared for the injured and mourned those who had lost their lives. As she describes it, she carried “a book in one hand and our souls in the other.”

Each day begins before sunrise, not for convenience, but because reaching the hospital has become a long and unpredictable journey through damaged roads and limited transportation. Yet, despite these challenges, she continues to wear her white coat because she knows her patients are waiting.

Her experience as an internship doctor in Gaza has profoundly shaped her understanding of medicine. It has taught her patience, resilience, compassion, and responsibility. For Dr. Elyan, medicine is not only about diagnosing illnesses or prescribing treatments. It is about standing beside people during the hardest moments of their lives and doing everything possible to ease their suffering.

Although life in Gaza remains extremely difficult, Dr. Elyan continues to serve her community with hope and determination. She believes that, even in the darkest circumstances, it is still possible to make a difference and to keep working toward a better future.

Dr. Shefaa M. S. Samoud is a physician from Gaza who has continued to provide medical care throughout the war under extraordinarily difficult and dangerous conditions.

Dr. Shefaa M. S. 

Dr. Shefaa M. S. is a physician from Gaza who has continued to provide medical care throughout the war under extraordinarily difficult and dangerous conditions.

From the earliest days of the conflict, she worked long hours treating injured patients while hospitals struggled with severe shortages of medicines, medical supplies, and electricity. Caring for large numbers of wounded civilians, including children, women, and elderly people, has been one of the greatest challenges of her medical career.

Alongside her professional responsibilities, Dr. Samoud has endured immense personal loss. During the war, she lost her father and several of her siblings in an airstrike while her family was being displaced. She later separated from her husband and now lives with her young daughter in a tent, facing extreme heat, limited shelter, and severe shortages of clean water.

Despite constant danger, overwhelming psychological stress, and the loss of safety and stability, she has continued to care for patients whenever conditions have allowed, providing emergency medical treatment with the few resources available.

Today, Dr. Samoud remains committed to serving her community. As both a physician and a mother, she continues to face each day with resilience, determination, and hope, refusing to let the hardships of war define her future.

Dr. Wesam is huisarts en een senior in het initiatief. Na werk in het buitenland, waaronder in Europa, keerde hij in 2022 naar Gaza terug om het medische systeem te versterken. Dit kwam met een hoge prijs. Hij verloor zijn vrouw, vader, zus, zwager, neefje. Daarnaast raakte ontheemd en woont hij nu met zijn twee kinderen in een tentenkamp. Dr. Wasem is op vrijwillige basis onder andere actief voor een geïmproviseerde kliniek.

“I am a general surgeon from Gaza. Four years ago, I returned home because I wanted to serve my people and help build a better healthcare system in my country. For me, medicine has never been just a job. It is a responsibility and a promise to help others in the moments they need it most.

Every patient I treat reminds me of how fragile and precious life is. Every successful treatment or surgery is not just a medical achievement; it is a moment of hope for a family, a small victory in difficult circumstances. That is what keeps me going.

But everything changed because of this devastating war.

Like thousands of families in Gaza, I lost my home. Today I live in a small tent with my two children – my 12-year-old son and my 10-year-old daughter. Life has become very hard, but we still hold on to hope.

My dream is simple:
To return to our land.
To rebuild our home.
And to continue doing what I have always believed in – helping people stay healthy, safe, and alive.

Even in the darkest moments, we still believe that one day life in Gaza will be rebuilt again.”

Dr. Basma is een jonge afgestudeerde apotheker. Zij werk op vrijwillige basis in verschillende apotheken in Gaza. 

“To me, being a pharmacist does not merely mean standing behind a counter to dispense medications. It means being the closest link to the patient after their doctor’s visit, the faithful guardian of their last line of defense towards recovery.

My passion for this profession stemmed not only from my love for chemistry and medicines but from my firm belief that the pharmacist is the ‘doctor of medicines,’ the trusted consultant who translates the physician’s prescription into a safe and understandable treatment plan for the patient’s daily life.

My love for patients came from the moment I realized that every patient who walks into the pharmacy carries hidden anxieties and questions they did not dare to ask the doctor. This is where my mission lies: it is not just about handing over the medicine, but about reassuring them, explaining how to take the medication in a simple way, warning them about potential side effects, and even discovering dangerous drug interactions that others might have missed. This trust they place in me, and the look of gratitude in their eyes when I illuminate a dark corner in their treatment journey, is what nourishes my soul and makes me proud of this choice every single day.

Therefore, for me, pharmacy is both a science and an act of human compassion. It is that unique position where the analytical mind of a scientist meets the compassionate heart of a nurse. Now, when I see this humanity reflected in my profession, I feel profound gratitude and thank God for His blessing upon me, for the day has finally come when I am called ‘Pharmacist Basma.’

Hearing this title is not merely an acknowledgment of an academic degree, but a reminder of the sacred trust placed in me to care for patients. It is the responsibility of being the final barrier between error and correctness in a medical prescription, and the first source of reassurance and knowledge for an anxious patient.

This profession is not a job; it is a noble human mission, and I am honored every day to be in its service.
And I am grateful for every moment when I can make a difference, even small, in a human life.”

Dr. Nour is een jonge arts die werkt op de spoedeisende hulp en chirurgie-afdeling van een ziekenhuis in Gaza. 

“I chose the medical field because of the experiences I personally went through within it. It began with my own injury that required surgery, and later, my father was diagnosed with intestinal cancer at the age of 38. He endured years of suffering, frequent treatments abroad, multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation, which unfortunately only worsened his condition. After about three years, he passed away due to the disease.

One of the main reasons I decided to pursue medicine was the feeling that my father deserved to live and could have been cured—with God’s will—if he had access to excellent medical knowledge and skilled doctors. I want to be among those doctors who, God willing, can help preserve the lives of men who support their families and whose loved ones depend on them. I do not want anyone else to experience the pain we felt after his passing, as it is an incredibly difficult loss.

Another reason is a dream and wish my father had expressed before his death: he wanted to see me become a doctor, a wish shared by my entire family. Achieving high academic success allowed me to pursue medicine despite the challenges of traveling and financial difficulties that made the journey much harder. Nevertheless, I managed to overcome these obstacles, and my path ultimately led me safely to be a doctor.” 

Dr. Nour

Dr. Mahmoud Al H. werkt al 2 jaar als vrijwillig arts op de spoedeisende hulp van twee ziekenhuizen in Gaza. 

“I wanted to study medicine because, growing up in Gaza, I witnessed firsthand how a lack of resources could shatter lives. That experience fueled my determination; I just really wanted to help the people around me and gain the expertise my community was missing. Now, seeing the thanks in a patient’s smile, all the hard work feels worth it.

When war forced me to flee to Deir Al-Balah, I saw the urgent need for medical care and began volunteering at Al-Aqsa Hospital.

For nearly two years, I have worked without a salary, treating trauma patients, wounded children, and the displaced at Al-Aqsa and Al-Awda Hospitals. Despite the overwhelming challenges, I continue to serve my community, driven by a dream to one day specialize in surgery. My work is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and I remain committed to healing and bringing hope to those in need.”

Dr. Ahmed D. is een jonge arts die werkt op de spoedeisende hulp van een van de ziekenhuizen in Gaza. 

“I wanted to study medicine because the idea of being able to ease someone’s pain has always moved something deep within me. Since childhood, I was fascinated by how a doctor could restore a patient’s smile and bring comfort to a worried family. Over time, I realized that medicine is not just an academic path or a profession, it’s a calling that touches the very essence of humanity.

My father was a doctor, and he has always been my greatest role model. Watching his dedication and compassion toward his patients left a lasting impression on me. I grew up seeing how his presence could calm people, how his words carried hope, and how his work changed lives in the most meaningful ways. I wanted to become like him, not only for his knowledge but for his humanity.

Even before I was born, medicine was part of my family’s story. My grandfather needed kidney dialysis treatment, and although I never had the chance to meet him, his life have deeply influenced me. I often hear stories about his kindness and patience. His legacy became a quiet inspiration that shaped my understanding of what it truly means to care for others.

When I think of my patients, I don’t see numbers or medical cases; I see souls holding onto hope, each with their own unique story. That sense of responsibility pushes me to be more precise, more compassionate every single day. Knowledge alone cannot heal unless it is wrapped in empathy.

I dream of being a doctor known not only for knowledge but also for humanity, to bring peace of mind before offering medicine, and to be the reason someone rises from their bed with a new smile. That is why I chose medicine, because nothing compares to the feeling of restoring life, hope, and dignity to another human being.”

Ahmed D.

Waleed is geneeskundestudent in Gaza en werkt als vrijwillig arts op de spoedeisende hulp van van de ziekenhuizen in Gaza.

“I began studying medicine because I carry within me a pain that never fades. Since the passing of my father, I have been searching for a way to make up for that loss, to be present for others in moments that might resemble my own. I witnessed with my own eyes how an illness or an injury can change the life of an entire family, and how a doctor can be the last hope to save a life or ease suffering. That is where my deep desire to become a doctor was born.

My passion for this profession is not just a love of science, but an emotional bond with humanity itself. Medicine, to me, is not only a path of knowledge, but also a way to restore meaning to life whenever circumstances try to take it away. In every situation I face with patients, I feel as though I am reliving my own story, but this time with the strength to help others.
My love for patients comes from a deep sense of their suffering. Every patient, to me, is a story filled with fear, hope, and sometimes loss. In their eyes, I see my old fears; in their words, I hear the trembling of my heart when I lost the dearest person to me. That is why I treat them like family, like brothers, sisters, and children not strangers.

Medicine is not just a university degree for me. It is a mission. It is a promise I made to myself: to stand beside those in need, to extend my hand where others lose strength. Medicine, for me, means sacrifice, patience, and carrying hope even in the darkest of times.”

Waleed

Waleed

Mussab is een vijfdejaars geneeskundestudent in Gaza en werkt als vrijwillig arts op de spoedeisende hulp van van de ziekenhuizen in Gaza.

“I wanted to study medicine because I have always believed that healing is the noblest act a human can offer another. From a young age, I was drawn to the stories of doctors who ran toward danger, not away from it, who stood firm in war zones, refugee camps, and disasters, just to save a single life. I wanted to be that kind of person. 

For me, being a doctor means carrying the weight of people’s fears, hopes, and pain, and doing so with compassion and strength. It’s more than diagnosing and treating; it’s being present in the most vulnerable moments of someone’s life. My passion lies not only in the science of medicine, but in the human connection it demands. Every patient is a story, and I get to be part of their journey toward healing. 

When I think of my patients, I feel a deep sense of responsibility. Whether it’s a child struggling to breathe in the middle of the night, or a mother whispering her last prayers under the rubble, I’m reminded of why I chose this path. Especially in places like Gaza, where survival itself is a daily battle, medicine becomes more than a profession; it becomes resistance, dignity, and love.

So medicine to me is a promise to never give up on people, no matter how broken the world becomes. And even when the war silences everything around me, I find purpose in the rhythm of a beating heart I helped save.”

Mohamed A. is student verpleegkunde en werkt op vrijwillige basis in veldhospitalen en ziekenhuizen. 

“I am Mohammed, a nursing student who chose this field out of deep conviction and a genuine desire to serve humanity. Through witnessing war and crisis, I realized the critical need for medical professionals, especially in nursing a realization that deeply inspired me to be part of this noble and humanitarian profession.

During the war, I studied under bombardment. Despite being constantly displaced 19 times from one place to another and enduring incredibly difficult living conditions, I succeeded. I took all my exams under the terrifying sound of drones and explosions, and despite everything, I graduated from high school with a score of 83%.

At the same time, I volunteered during the war by distributing food to medical staff, patients, and children, helping in any way I could. This experience gave me the motivation to pursue nursing and pushed me to learn basic first aid so I could support the wounded and assist in hospitals.Even when hospitals were raided and forced to close, I did not stop. I continued volunteering in shelter camps, offering help to the injured and anyone in need. Although we lost our home and our last shelter, I never gave up. I stayed on this journey, committed to helping people.

This path led me to choose nursing to be part of the first lines of defense for my people, to keep serving and supporting them, and to turn my volunteering into a certified, professional mission.

Alongside my medical commitment, I am a cheerful person who loves life. I believe positive energy and kindness are key elements in healthcare. I enjoy teamwork, always seek growth, and strive to be an impactful nurse in my community delivering care with compassion, resilience, and hope.”