My name is Dr. Ibrahin Khalil and I am a doctor, I am a husband, I am a father, I am a son, I am a sibling, I am a human who is a survivor from Gaza, currently evacuated to Egypt with my extraordinary wife, Heba Daoub, also known as one of the Gaza Monologues Writers by ASHTAR Theatre, and two young children.  

My dream is to put my white coat back on, to heal others again, and to show my children that even after the darkest night, there is still hope.

I survived but since October 2023 at least 1600 health workers, just like me, have not. I owe my life to chance, God, and Heba.

My luck continues as I have been given the chance to apply for the Arab Board in Ophthalmology and finally finish what I started. If I can complete my training, I will not only be able to rebuild my medical career but also secure a future for my wife, children and support my family in Gaza as well as serve as a doctor for my people.

Before the war on Gaza, I was in the final stage of my ophthalmology specialization. I had worked for years to reach this point, countless nights studying, endless hours in the hospital, and a heart full of hope for the future of my own, of my family and my people in Palestine.

I was lucky to survive but the war didn’t just take my health and my home. It took my father, my brother, and my sister’s husband - all killed in the bombing.

I am now the only man left to care for my mother, my sisters, and their children who remain trapped in Gaza under unbearable conditions as well as my wife and our two young children who are with me, after the evacuation to Egypt.

The weight I carry is almost impossible to describe.

What I can describe is what happened:

One night before dawn, my life changed forever. An airstrike hit our home in Gaza while we were sleeping. In an instant, I was buried under the rubble. Heba, my bravest wife, with nothing but her bare hands, pulled me out while I was bleeding and struggling to breathe.

She saved me, she saved our children, she saved herself, she saved our future.

My injuries were extremely critical: the kind that required urgent treatment abroad, as hospitals in Gaza cannot handle such complex trauma cases. But no ambulance could reach us.

For 40 endless hours, we were trapped, surrounded by destruction, without medical help. Somehow, by what I can only call a miracle, we finally made it to a hospital, where doctors did everything they could to stabilize me.

Thanks to my wife I support I was taken to an Egyptian hospital and operated several times. After a long process of recovery, I am back to my health, but I need help to finance the Arab Board in Ophtalmology training.

What I Need to Raise:

·       Application & Registration Fees: $3,000 

·       Training & University Fees: $16,000 (2 years, $8,000/year)

·       Accommodation & Living Expenses: $10,000

·       Study Materials & Equipment: $2,000

Total Needed: $31,000

Every dollar counts. Even $10 will bring me closer to this second chance. And if you cannot donate, please share my story - you may help me reach someone who can.

My dream is to put my white coat back on, to heal others again, and to show my children that even after the darkest night, there is still hope.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, thank you for caring, and thank you for giving me a chance to rebuild.

Dr. Ibrahim Khalil

Displaced from Gaza, now Cairo

8/16/2025

Konrad Suder Chatterjee is a fiscal sponsor of this campaign whom I authorise to receive funds on my behalf. Konrad works at ASHTAR Theatre in Ramallah, Palestine, as a communications and resource development director and is co-leading the Gaza Monologues project.