Shattered Hopes: Junior Dr Yara Nader El-Hossari

“If I die, tell people that I wanted to graduate and have my graduation photo taken.”

Yara Al-Hossari, August 2025

Junior doctor Yara from Gaza was martyred, shortly after she wrote her wish, on September 9, 2025. She was not able to graduate, she was not able to have her graduation photo taken and she never will be.

People die, everyone dies. Death is rather more precise than the precision of life itself. Because life happens over possibilities, like a sort of fiction, but death is an undeniable, certain, and painful reality. Death is the end of life. That’s what we all know, but look at Yara’s wish, dreams, hopes that outlived death—taking root deep within life— her delicate hands grasping life despite death.

Before the eyes of the whole world Palestine and Gaza which were subjected to a genocide— every second of it broadcasted live— represents humanity’s honor and faith which challenges death. Facing this barbaric genocide, Gaza deliberately continues to seed hope. Despite the feeling of emptiness caused by 20.000 child bodies, hopes and dreams of Yara and many more brilliant ones become the only meaningful support for life.

Yara Al-Hossari was born on December 11, 2002 at a loving family. She was a fifth grade medical student at Al-Azhar University.

During her university years, Yara was known as a determined, hardworking and a good hearted student. However, the rampant attacks of Israel made both life and education impossible for Yara and thousands of her friends. Because Israel has been targeting health and education systems since the beginning of the war. Alongside schools, hospitals an other public buildings, universities were also targeted. Despite the catastrophe and destruction of war, Al-Azhar University — the place where Yara was also a student— decided to go on with the education no matter the conditions. And organized lessons and clinical rotations at different centers. Yara persistently continued to attend to the lessons at these clinical and educational centers which were pretty dangerous to reach.

Yara El-Hossari successfully completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology internship in July and August 2025, amid relentless bombardments and heavy attacks. Throughout this period, she felt immense excitement and joy at every stage of her training; she assisted in cesarean operations and actively participated in numerous natural births. According to her grandmother, Yara often said during this time, “I love this department; I’m truly interested in this field,” expressing her passion for her profession.

Her friends recall that Yara frequently spoke about her dreams and ideals. “I want to live,” she would say. “I want to graduate, to take my graduation photos, to travel…” Like every idealistic young person, Yara wished to see new places, meet new people, and serve humanity by excelling in her profession.

A few weeks before her death, Yara told a friend that she would soon be evacuated to Türkiye and hoped to continue her education without further obstacles. While she was waiting for that long-awaited moment of relief, the Israeli occupation forces cut her life short. Today, while the close friend with whom she shared her dreams continues her medical education in Türkiye, Yara’s dreams remain unfulfilled.

On September 9, 2025, Yara and her entire family lost their lives when the Israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike on their home in the Al-Shati refugee camp without any prior warning. After the attack, Yara and her family members remained trapped under the rubble for hours, as Israeli forces obstructed the access of ambulances and rescue teams to the site. When civil defense teams were finally able to reach the area, they managed to recover only three bodies, and Yara and the remaining family members were recorded as missing. Nearly 24 hours later, a call was made from Yara’s siblings’s phone—though the line was open, there was no one speaking on the other end. Following this call, civil defense teams launched another search and rescue operation that lasted for hours. Eventually, the lifeless bodies of Yara and all her family members were retrieved from the debris.

Yara’s story broke the hearts of those who knew her, who had seen her passion for life and heard her dreams. Although what we know about her is limited, it is evident that Yara had many memories she wished to share and countless dreams she longed to pursue. Like many Palestinians, Yara loved her homeland. She did not wish to die, she wished to live. She did not choose the chain of events that led to her death. As Mahmoud Darwish once wrote: “We love life as long as we can find a way to it.”

On one occasion, Yara shared the following words: “We weep for our lost dreams, for our unhealed wounds, and for our impossible hopes. We weep for the bitterness of days, for the separation of friends, and for the loss of blessings. Life has taken from us all that was precious, even our fingernails! We weep because tears are the only thing left to us.”

May mercy be upon Yara and all young doctors whose lives were cut short in the same way. May their loved ones be granted patience and solace.

I would like to thank Intern Dr Nour AbuAqlain, journalist-author Mustafa Ekici and Sudenaz Coskun for their contribution.

Prof Dr Orhan Alimoglu,

Istanbul Medeniyet University