Dr Aya Hisham Mosleh

I am Aya Hisham Mosleh, 25 years old. I completed my internship and graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry at Al-Azhar University. I traveled to Egypt on September 21, 2023, to join a cosmetic course at the GMS Institute, hoping to find a job like others of my generation upon my return.

The instructor, Sarah, praised my skills in cosmetic fillings, and I felt proud to have found something I wanted to pursue. I was eager to develop my skills and excel in this field. However, the unexpected happened. With the onset of the war, communication with my family was cut off. The stress and fear experienced by my sister, my father, and me were indescribable.

My kind mother always tried to shield me from sorrow by not telling me who we had lost in the family, but I always found out from external sources. I broke down four times: when two of my mother’s uncles, who were very close to me, died; when my aunt’s husband passed away; and when I learned that our building had been demolished and leveled to the ground. This war is the most brutal I have ever experienced.

My father’s salary has been cut off for three months, and we have no idea what will happen to us next. I miss my family and my dear friends. I don’t know when or if we will meet again. I was supposed to return in January 2024 to reunite with my family. I regret traveling and leaving them in these dire circumstances. I feel a lump in my throat when I eat, buy new clothes, breathe fresh air, drink clean water, stay warm in the cold, and sleep in a bed.

I miss the smell of soil mixed with rainwater and the unique scent of the Gaza sea. I have lost my university, and now I am without a home, without a university degree, and, rather, without a homeland or a future.

My training at Al-Shifa Hospital was one of the most enjoyable and exciting months, filled with curiosity and enthusiasm. I never got tired of waking up early, wondering what the next case would be. I wished the training in the oral and maxillofacial surgery department had lasted longer. I overcame my fear of seeing blood and deep open wounds in the face and jaws.Now Al -Shifa Hospital has become a cemetery for martyrs and carries in its guts their remains.