My home has been destroyed. Earlier this month, after an evacuation order forced thousands of civilians to flee, I fell while trying to escape. I am no longer young enough to run. In the panic and chaos, I fell to the ground and broke my arm.
These are not abstract statistics. They are the human consequences of a conflict that has inflicted unbearable suffering on innocent people on both sides.
Yet even after losing my home and suffering this injury, I refuse to surrender to hatred. I refuse to believe that violence is our destiny.
I continue to call for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis – one that recognizes the humanity, dignity, and security of both peoples. The future must not be built on revenge, but on mutual recognition, courage, and reconciliation.
Palestinian children and Israeli children deserve the same future: to wake up without fear, to sleep without the sound of war, and to grow up with hope instead of trauma.
My arm may be broken, and my home may lie in ruins, but my belief that peace is possible remains unbroken. The time has come for leaders on all sides, and for the international community, to choose the path of dialogue over destruction, and the courage of peace over the continuation of war.
An open letter to US President Donald Trump
President Donald J. Trump,
I write to you from the heart of suffering, but I also write with a heart that still believes in hope. From my position as a person who has lived through many years of difficult experiences, I look forward to the opportunity to stand before you in the White House and speak with you openly and honestly.
I believe that the leaders who leave a mark on history are those who are courageous enough to listen to the voices of the people, not only to the noise of politics.
I have dedicated more than four decades of my life to serving humanity, education, and society, believing that human dignity must always remain above political disagreements and conflicts. Today, after witnessing pain and suffering firsthand, I feel that I carry a humanitarian message that deserves to reach you directly.
I am not seeking this meeting for personal interest or political gain. I seek it because I believe that sincere dialogue between human beings can open doors that wars have closed, and that one honest word from the heart can be the beginning of a new path.
I wish to share with you the experience of a person who has lived through tragedy but has never lost faith that peace is possible, and that justice and compassion are not signs of weakness, but the foundation of true strength and lasting stability.
Mr. President, historic leadership is not measured by power alone, but by the ability to listen to the truth, even when it is painful.
Therefore, I hope you will grant me the honor of meeting with you, so that I may present a humanitarian perspective born from the reality I have lived, and so that we may discuss a future in which Palestinians and Israelis can live with security, dignity, and peace.
I may not be able to change the world alone, but I believe that a sincere conversation between two people who believe in the importance of peace can become a window of hope for entire nations.
The writer has worked for 44 years at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), where he has held several leadership positions, including head of the education program, head of the central area in the Gaza Strip, and adviser to the director of UNRWA operations on community affairs.