Hello,

My name is Naji Al-Sawafiri, I am 26 years old, and I live in Gaza City.

I graduated from university with a major in interior design engineering and worked with my father in the manufacture of home furniture in an attempt to develop my father's business, but I did not succeed much because of the frequent wars and the destruction they brought every time we tried.

I got married a year and a half ago, and my wedding took place during the previous war on 8/12/2022. Despite the hardships we faced due to the siege, I prepared my home. Since the war began, my family and I have been displaced several times. We fled our home without any of our belongings, leaving behind a house full of beautiful memories in an attempt to escape the indiscriminate bombing and genocide that occur every day in Gaza. We came to the south to try to escape possible death and protect my family. We found a small apartment with difficulty, where 35 members of my family and my mother's family were displaced. There is not enough space for the number of people, but we wait patiently to return to our homes.

My wife was nine months pregnant when we were displaced. We were eagerly awaiting the birth of our first child and had prepared her own room. However, due to the war, my wife was afraid of giving birth in unprepared conditions due to the lack of hospitals or maternity supplies. Our prayers were for the war to end before her birth, but she gave birth late at night when communication was difficult. We struggled to reach an ambulance crew to transfer her to the hospital. She gave birth on 11/17, and our first child, a daughter named Ola after my birth name, was born healthy, thank God. However, my wife suffered due to the lack of hospital capabilities, which did not provide her with comfort during a very difficult birth.

Unfortunately, due to our brief displacement, I did not take my daughter's clothes that my wife and I had bought, leaving them behind in our home in the hope of returning one day. But we received news that our house had been targeted and destroyed. I was unable to provide all of her needs like any child, whether clothes, milk, or diapers, due to scarcity of goods and the extremely high prices.

My child still wakes up to the sounds of bombing and explosions. Fear has touched her since childhood, along with the smell of gunpowder and phosphorus. Every day, I wake up to search for ways to live and survive, but everything is contaminated due to the phosphorus that has fallen on us. Finding food and uncontaminated water has become impossible.

I had a wonderful life with my family and friends. I worked hard to acquire my own house, but when I finally owned one, it was targeted by random shells and caught fire. What is happening to my family in Gaza surpasses any imaginable horror. I may not be able to fully express the horrors of this war in words, but on the screen in front of you, you can witness everything that is happening to us, including destruction, displacement, and extermination.

Life in Gaza has become impossible. I have decided to travel to start a new life with my family, free from wars. A new life, at least to build a new house and a new workplace. Your assistance means building a new life for us so that we can live because we deserve a decent life and we deserve to move towards hope despite everything. Your assistance means that we are not just numbers and that our lives matter.

I'm desperate for the money, just to survive, to afford essentials like milk and diapers for my baby. Every day feels like a struggle, as the prices skyrocket due to the war. It's a constant battle just to scrape together enough to provide the basic necessities for my child's survival. The weight of financial burden presses down on me, knowing that I have to borrow exorbitant amounts just to keep us afloat in these harsh times.

Thank you again for your love and support.