Akashma Online News

By Marivel Guzman | Akashma News

Congratulations, Loay!

May Allah always keep you safe, protect you from envy, and keep your path open and free of obstacles. I am deeply proud to have had the privilege of meeting you and of witnessing the success of a fellow Palestinian whose journey is truly extraordinary.

I first met Loay Elbasyouni at a UNRWA USA 5K fundraiser for Gaza. I remember seeing this young man with a camera and assuming, naturally, that he was a photographer like me covering the race.

What a surprise it was to later discover who he was.

There is one small detail from that day that makes Loay’s story especially personal to me.

At the UNRWA USA 5K for Gaza in Fountain Valley, I was there with my camera, documenting the event. Loay was carrying a camera as well, and I initially assumed he was another photographer covering the race.

At one point, we posed together with Don Kim, a Japanese reporter who was also covering the event. It was an ordinary, candid moment — three people with cameras, different backgrounds and a shared interest in documenting what was happening around us.

I had no idea that the young Palestinian standing beside us was an engineer whose work would later become part of one of the most remarkable achievements in modern aerospace history.

Looking at this photograph now, more than a decade later, gives that moment an entirely different meaning. I am simply grateful that our paths crossed before I knew the extraordinary road his life and career would take.

Loay’s journey began in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, where he attended UNRWA schools. From those beginnings, and despite hardship, financial struggles, interrupted education, and the many obstacles placed before him, he persevered.

He went on to become an accomplished electrical engineer and part of the team behind NASA’s Mars Ingenuity Helicopter—the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet. He later contributed his expertise to advanced space propulsion programs and continued pushing forward into the world of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and aerospace innovation.

From Gaza to Mars.

That sentence alone carries an entire story of perseverance.

Loay, your success is not only your personal achievement. For Palestinians everywhere—especially young Palestinians who are too often shown only images of war, displacement, and suffering—you are also a reminder of what Palestinian minds can accomplish when given an opportunity to learn, create, dream, and flourish.

I am so proud that our paths crossed that day at the 5K for Gaza. I thought I was meeting another photographer.

Instead, I was meeting a Palestinian whose work would help humanity fly on another planet.

Congratulations on everything you have achieved, Loay, and on everything still ahead of you.

May Allah continue to illuminate your path, protect you, and grant you even greater success.

From Gaza to the stars. 🇵🇸🚁🔴✨