Alaa, 31, used to live in Gaza, when it was merely a besieged city weighed down by isolation.
She married an Egyptian, Ahmed, and traveled with him to Egypt, spending 10 years without seeing her family in Gaza due to financial constraints.
Alaa and her husband spent much of their money trying to conceive, undergoing seven expensive in vitro fertilization procedures, all of which failed.
But God had plans for Alaa’s happiness. On the eighth attempt, she gave birth to twins, Hassan and Hussein.
Alaa’s and Ahmed’s joy was indescribable, and they wanted to share this happiness with their families. Alaa decided to travel back to Gaza to visit her family. ….more
