Haneen’s Story: How Your Support Helped Bring Aid with Dignity and Hope to Families in Gaza
In the spirit of charity and compassion that is characteristic of Ramadan, we recently asked for your help over the month-long holiday to deliver crucial aid to families in Gaza. Thanks to your generosity, Peace Winds and our local partners were able to distribute gift vouchers to 86 families. We are prioritizing aid for the most vulnerable, and many of these families have lost a parent and are caring for children.
Variety and choice have become a luxury for Gazans who rely largely on humanitarian aid, so vouchers offer welcome flexibility. Families can decide for themselves what they need most, and they are redeeming them for food, hygiene items, and other necessities.
Haneen, 37, is one of the recipients. Since her husband was killed two years ago, she has carried the weight of raising her three children alone in Gaza City through loss, displacement, and uncertainty.
Today, Haneen and her family live in a small tent in a refugee camp. Her brothers live in tents beside her.
“We are all here,” she says, “not because we chose to be, but because we have nowhere else to go.” Haneen’s home and her entire neighborhood were destroyed in a September 2025 Israeli military attack.
Her greatest worry, however, is her eldest son. At just 13 years old, he has already undergone several surgeries after being struck by shrapnel. He now lives with a permanent physical disability.
“Every time I look at him,” Haneen says softly, “I wish I could take his pain and carry it myself.”
Every day, she struggles to get him treatment and good nutrition.
“I keep reaching out to organizations,” she explains, “trying to find his medicine… but not everything is available in Gaza’s clinics.”
Even meeting her family’s basic needs is a constant challenge.
“There are too many priorities. Bread comes first, then medicine… everything else has to wait.”
Fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat have become luxuries that Haneen can rarely afford. With no source of income, she and her children depend largely on hot meals distributed by the UN World Food Programme, as well as occasional support from local organizations.
“These meals help us survive, but there is no variety, and rarely any meat. The children feel it.”
Still, on some days, a small moment can feel like a celebration.
“Today is special,” Haneen says as she collects her gift voucher, a faint smile breaking through her exhaustion. The vouchers arrived just in time, allowing her to buy essential items like cheese and vegetables. For once, she could choose what to bring home.
“My children asked me for chocolate for Eid. I couldn’t buy it before… it was too expensive.”
This time, she hoped she might finally get to say yes.
In these fragile moments, hope quietly returns. Haneen expresses deep gratitude to Peace Winds, our local partners, and all the donors who have stood by families like hers, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
“You have not forgotten us,” she says.
–
Peace Winds and our local partners continue to deliver clean water, food assistance, and essential supplies to families like Haneen’s. We are so grateful for your support and hope you will continue to help us carry out these activities.
(Names used in this article are pseudonyms to protect the privacy of individuals.)