CAIRO – 26 October 2025: In a moving moment during Nation of Peace celebrations on Saturday, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi embraced 10-year-old Palestinian girl Retaj Mohammed Riyad, a survivor of the Gaza war who lost her entire family.
The image of El-Sisi gently holding the child, who had asked to sit beside him, became a symbol of Egypt’s message to the world: a call for peace, human dignity, and the right of all people to live in safety and prosperity.
Retaj, 10, spent her childhood in Gaza. Her life changed forever when an Israeli airstrike leveled her family’s home without warning.
Trapped beneath the rubble for nearly two days, she was eventually rescued with severe injuries that led to the amputation of her left leg.
When she regained consciousness, she learned that her parents and siblings passed away in the same strike.
Retaj was later brought to Egypt to receive medical and psychological treatment and to continue her education. Since then, she has become a quiet yet powerful symbol of the innocent lives affected by war, and of Egypt’s humanitarian role in their recovery.
Attending the celebration, she was welcomed by the present, who invited her to his side and embraced her.
Speaking in a phone call with Egypt Today later that evening, Retaj said: “This is the happiest day of my life. I was so glad to meet President El-Sisi, my father, the president.”
“Egypt is the mother of the world. I love Egyptians so much. When people see me in the streets, they greet me for my strength and resilience,” she added.
For many, Retaj’s smile that evening after years of pain and loss reflected the deeper purpose behind Egypt’s message of peace: that humanity, compassion, and hope must prevail even in the face of unimaginable suffering.
Sun, Oct. 26, 2025
