An Urgent Appeal from Gaza: Shima and Her Four Children Seek Safety and Hope

My name is Shima Shmaly, a mother of four children from the Gaza Strip.** Before October 7th, 2023, our life was simple and full of dreams, like any family striving for safety and stability. In a single moment, our lives turned into an unending nightmare.

I have lost everything. Our home, which held our dreams and memories, was completely destroyed. Nothing remains but rubble, and with it, all our hopes for a dignified life were shattered.

### The Pain of Loss and a Father's Absence

Two months after our forced displacement to the south, I lost contact with my husband. All news of him has been cut off, and for over a year now, I have known nothing of his fate. I face life alone, carrying the burden of four children, and living in constant anxiety over the destiny of my life partner.

### A Child Born in the Heart of Tragedy

During this devastating war, I was pregnant. I gave birth to my youngest child amidst the most difficult circumstances: **without clean water, without sufficient food, and without proper healthcare.** He is a child who has not yet seen his father, born into a tent that offers no protection from the summer heat or the bitter cold of winter.

### The Daily Struggle for Survival

We are currently living in a tent, lacking the basic necessities of life. Every day is a struggle for survival. I have no source of income, and I stand helpless before the hungry eyes of my children. Every piece of bread and every drop of water is a miracle we fight to achieve. **We are dying every day, not just from the shelling, but from the inability to provide the simplest necessities of life.**

### Why We Need Your Help

I appeal to you from the bottom of my heart to stand with me and my children. Our goal is not luxury, but **life**.

We are raising funds for:

1. **Providing Basic Needs:** Food, clean water, milk and diapers for my infant, and winter clothes for my children.

2. **Securing Decent Shelter:** Moving from the tent to a safer and warmer place, even if temporary.

3. **Rebuilding Hope:** Providing a minimum level of stability for my children so they can live with dignity and begin to recover from the trauma.

**Please, do not leave us alone.** Every contribution, no matter how small, is a lifeline for us. Help me be a mother capable of protecting her children and providing them with safety.

**Support Shima and her children. Help us survive and rebuild what the war has destroyed.**

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Shima Shmaly.

If you cannot donate, please share our story.

It may reach someone who can help.

May God reward you for your compassion.