My name is Najla. I live with my husband and 5 children in the Al-Arroub refugee camp near Hebron.
I was born and raised in Khan Younis, in Gaza, and that is where my entire family lives. In 2000, I got married and moved to the West Bank with my husband.
For the last 20 years, I have been separated from my family due to the siege on Gaza and banned entry and exit to the Strip.
The past two years have been marked by immense grief. I have lost dozens of family members, including my cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.
My heart shattered further with the loss of my brother, Abdul Rahman. He had fled Khan Younis with my elderly parents, his young wife, and their twin toddlers. They set up a makeshift tent in what was supposed to be a safe area. But while he was out gathering food and supplies for his children, he was killed.
Last year, I became acquainted with the Parents Circle through its activities, and participated in various activities out of faith in the noble message it carries – to build a better future for us and our children.
I lost a part of my heart when my brother was killed. From this I realized that I must leave my mark by standing together with other bereaved families to create a future without violence, to stop this conflict, and to end the occupation. We say to the whole world: We do not seek war, we seek humanity and peace.
My name is Natalie. Seven years ago I relocated from Israel to Seattle with my family, where I live with my partner and 3 children.
On October 7th, 2023, my beloved uncle and aunt Eviatar and Lilach Kipnis were killed in Kibbutz Be’eri, with my uncle’s caregiver, Paul Castelvi. In the house across the road, 7 members of my extended family were kidnapped: Shoshan, Adi, Neve, Yahel, Tal, Nesharon, and Noam. Tal was held in Gaza for 505 days, and was released this past February 2025.
My family has always been politically active; I have childhood memories of standing with my mother and grandmother in Jerusalem and demonstrating with Women in Black. It was always clear to me that if there is injustice, it is our moral duty to stand up and fight. Eviatar and Lilach were peace activists their whole lives, fighting against the occupation, for peace and coexistence.
When I returned from Israel to Seattle after 4 funerals, and with lots of despair, helplessness and frustration, I began a campaign for the return of my family members and for an end to the war in Gaza.
Hamas killed my family members but they did not kill my humanity. They did not kill my ability to feel compassion. My heart continues to break in the face of unimaginable death and destruction.
I have been following the Parents Circle from the sidelines for years, and have participated in the Joint Memorial Day Ceremony for years.
The moment I officially joined the Parents Circle was a heartbreaking moment of realizing that this had happened to my family, too, but also a powerful moment in which I could feel the pain and strength to join a community which feels that this pain, destruction, and bereavement must stop. We see each other as human beings.
There must be a different future for our children, a shared path of reconciliation and dialogue. We have a voice to tell the extremist leaders who are inflicting on us only destruction, death, destruction, and eternal violence – enough!