Izzeldin Abuelaish

Born and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Abuelaish has overcome many personal hardships, including poverty and violence, to become one of the most outspoken, prominent, and beloved educators and public speakers on peace and development in the Middle East. His personal doctrine is that hate is not a response to war. Rather, open communication, understanding, and compassion are the tools needed to bridge the divide between Israeli and Palestinian interests.

Dr. Abuelaish is an Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, Canada. 

A five-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and, known as the “Martin Luther King of the Middle East”, often referred to as the “Gaza Doctor” in the media, who is devoted to advance health and education opportunities for women and girls in the Middle East, through his researches and his charitable organization, the Daughters for Life Foundation.