She Stands: Gaza

Between Bombs and Breath: Norhan Almuzaini Norhan Almuzaini is 33 years old. A humanitarian, a program officer at Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), and a woman who has spent years working in Gaza’s most fragile spaces. But more than a job title, she is someone who carries within her a relentless drive, a desire to make life better, even in a place where life is constantly under threat. Her journey into the humanitarian world wasn’t accidental. It was born from witnessing Gaza’s protracted crisis;  a crisis that has turned generations into survivors. She believed that NGOs and INGOs were among the few institutions left capable of offering young people hope, dignity, and a future worth imagining. And so, she joined the struggle with purpose. When the most recent war erupted, Norhan found herself paralyzed not by choice, but by circumstance. Trapped in northern Gaza, movement was dangerous and life was suspended. She, a woman committed to helping others, suddenly couldn’t help herse...

When the war began, Yasmin Muhanna, a 26-year-old woman from Gaza, refused to wait for help. She and her sister took matters into their own hands, literally. Amid destruction, they cleaned a ruined space themselves and turned it into a small women’s clothing shop. It wasn’t just a source of livelihood, it became a lifeline for other women too. With much of Gaza cut off from the internet, the space quickly transformed into a hub where women could connect with the outside world and reclaim a small sense of normalcy. Yasmin’s drive didn’t stop there. She volunteered tirelessly; distributing aid parcels, delivering water, and responding to the urgent needs of her community. Her determination eventually led her to a new role as a coordinator in an education recovery project. In the middle of war, she found herself helping hundreds of children return to learning. “ This work brought me back to life ,”  she says.  “It gave my days meaning again.” Education has always been Yasmin’s pa...