Thread by @GazaGreatMinds

🧵 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝘇𝗮

In a land where life constantly tests your spirit, where mornings begin with smoke instead of sunlight, and where survival has become a daily mission, one woman stands tall, unwavering, rooted like an ancient olive tree.

My name is Doaa Ibrahim Al-Minawi, and I am a mathematics teacher at Gaza Great Minds School. I am also a mother, a daughter of a martyr, a sister to a martyr, and a woman who refuses to let despair define her story.

Growing up, I watched my father, Professor Ibrahim Al-Minawiteach with passion and purpose. He wasn’t just a teacher; he was a beacon of wisdom and compassion. Even after he was killed, he remained my guide. In every step I take, I still hear his voice. I chose to study at the Islamic University of Gaza in his honor, carrying forward the light he sparked in our home.

But life before this war is nothing like life after.

Now, each day begins before dawn. I wake to a home without electricity or running water, a kitchen without gas. I knead dough, wash clothes by hand, cook over open flames and all while preparing to teach. My mornings begin with smoke in my lungs just to make a cup of milk for my children. I ration the little bread we have, slicing it carefully so they have something anything to take with them.

And then, I teach. Not just lessons in numbers and logic, but lessons in resilience, hope, and dignity.

As both a mother and a teacher, I divide my heart. My students are my children, and my children are my students. I plan their lessons, their dreams, their futures, even when mine feels uncertain.

I carry silent fears: the fear of loss, the fear of another loved one taken too soon. I’ve already buried my father. I’ve already buried my sister. I don’t know if I can survive another grave.

One day, I learned that the mother of one of my most brilliant students had died not from bombs, but from cancer. She couldn’t access treatment because of the war. That day, I wept not only for a mother lost, but for a child robbed of comfort and for a society suffocating under siege.
And yet we rise.

Because Gaza does not bow to humiliation. Because our dignity is ancient, deep-rooted like our olive trees. Because when everything collapses around us, we build with chalk and blackboards, with books and lessons, with courage and dreams.

As a mother, I dream of seeing my children grow up to be strong, kind, and successful, each in their own way. As a teacher, I dream of helping my students reach their goals, of continuing my professional journey and earning higher degrees.

And as Doaa simply Doaa, I dream of a small home with a garden, where I can raise chickens, doves, a cow, and maybe even a sheep. A quiet life, filled with peace and purpose.

In Gaza, we don't wait for life to be kind, we insist on living with purpose, even in its absence.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙.
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪! ❤️🖤 🤍 💚

𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧: Doaa Ibrahim Al-Minawi

Blog link: gazagreatminds.org/rooted-like-an…

Donate: donate.stripe.com/3cs03SdcraNo38…

Website: gazagreatminds.org

#WeWillReadAgain