SEVEN CORNERS, Va. — A line was wrapped around the buffet inside Bawadi Mediterranean Grill Thursday night.
The crowd was not only there for the food, but also to support the family-owned business that's located along Leesburg Pike in Seven Corners.
"My background, I have a PhD in industrial engineering. I always worked in engineering all my life," said Khalid Mekki.
Mekki and his wife opened Bawadi in 2014.
"I actually wanted my family to be closer," Mekki told WUSA9.
Mekki moved to the United States from Gaza 26 years ago, but still has many family and friends there.
"It's very touching to see the proportion of force that's been used. They are human. Every single one of them has a dream," he said.
"It's been difficult month but last week was especially difficult week for me," he explained.
Last week, he got devastating news from his family back in Gaza. His niece and three of her daughters had been killed.
"They were in their house. The whole area where they were living was bombed. The whole block was disseminated," said Mekki.
He says it hasn't been easy to communicate with his surviving family members.
"There's a lack of electricity, lack of water, power, the life is miserable," he explained.
He says it's been heartbreaking to watch what has unfolded in both Israel and Gaza, and that there needs to be peace.
"I strongly believe peace can be perfectly there, but we can't have people in power who promote killing. You kill, someone kill. It's like the cycle never ends. It's revenge life and it doesn't help anybody. Nobody will ever be safe with the mentality they have now," he told WUSA9.
Despite the heartbreak, he says his family has been able to smile, because of the outpouring of support they've received from the Fairfax County community.
"I feel loved by the community and it's a great feeling. I have people come and just hug me and go. It made me cry. I don't cry, I don't like crying," he told WUSA9.
He says that support and love made them want to pay it forward.
So, on Monday, November 13, from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. , the restaurant will be donating 50% of their proceeds from the dinner buffet to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The restaurant is located at 6304 Leesburg Pike in Virginia.