A plea for a chance to build a new life

Hi all,

My name is Mai. I'm from Gaza. 15 months ago I got married to my beloved husband Mohanad. We're reaching out to you from the south of Gaza Strip, from the last point in Gaza before the border with Egypt, which is currently our displacement place before the next that we have no clue where it might be.

After weeks thinking and exchanging ideas over unslept nights, on one side due to the drones buzzing all the time and the explosion of bombs outside and on the other the roaring thoughts inside our heads. We don’t want to leave our land and we don’t want to leave our families, at the same time we want to live.

Our lives took a devastating turn on what was meant to be our first wedding anniversary on October 13. Instead of celebrating, we were forced to flee our warm home, cherished memories, and seek shelter in the southern part of Gaza strip. That was our first place of shelter and that was the first separation from other family members. We had to split ways hoping that we'll reunite again in a few weeks. In 4 months, we met once in November in some heartbreaking conditions.

Since we started moving from shelter to shelter, each day has been a harrowing misery, shared by all in Gaza. Raining missiles, overflying drones, lack of basics that we never imagined in our worst nightmares that we will ever go through. Nowadays, taking a shower is priceless, clean water needs to be portioned and food is whatever might be available for survival.

Mohanad and myself keep trying to remind ourselves of what a happy life once looked like, we try keeping our dreams as a young couple alive and hope that one day we will be able to achieve what looks like a normal life and be able to move on. Right now, everything is cloudy and despair is looming over our days.

Staying in Gaza in these conditions is accepting a death sentence without even trying to appeal, leaving what once used to be home is heartbreaking but we're left with no options. What once used to be our childhood home is gone, along with the whole neighborhood. Even though I moved to Mohanad’s childhood’s home after we got married, I still can’t believe that my home where I spent my childhood, teenage and a few adult years with my parents and siblings is gone. That home was our sanctuary of warmness and love. Now it’s gone, forever.

We still do not have a clear idea of what exactly is the status of our home, Mohanad’s childhood and our home after we got married. Nevertheless, the news and images emerging from the area leaves no place for doubts that this was also gone or at least destroyed in a way that we now have no house to live in. The inside of the houses, if still in place, are destroyed or gone or burnt down. Additionally, no one is allowed to go back to Gaza City in the north of the Gaza strip. That was where we lived with our families since we ever have a memory.

The UN center where we were taking shelter for a few months along with thousands of others is now destroyed. Luckily we were able to flee before the worst happened and we’re thanking God until this day that we survived. It is not easy to process the idea of “what if we were still there?”

Now we are in Rafah, with a view of endless tents, no place to set a foot and not sure what to do next. When you hear that “There is no safe place in Gaza”, this is for real and not a slogan. There is in fact no place safe in Gaza and everything is missing, everything is lost and we need to keep telling ourselves that we will survive and make it out.

This fundraiser is to reach out to every human who might be willing to contribute and give us hope that we in fact deserve to start a new life and rebuild, retrieving our dreams and maybe creating new ones. For this fundraiser, we have set a goal of 75,000€, which will mainly help us raise the funds to exit Gaza and then start somewhere from nothing. The first stop will be Egypt which is the only way out of Gaza, where we will need to rent a house, handle documents, find a job and file for emigration or asylum.

We literally lost everything we ever had and have nothing to start with. The main goal at the moment is to be able to leave so we can have hope that we can start and rebuild our lives somewhere.

This is me with my sister and parents, hopefully we can all make it out together. We’re around 45 min away, nevertheless in almost 5 months I saw them once for a couple of hours. After I got married, we were used to getting together at least once a week. Going through these moments of happy memories is what keeps us hanging to hope that, one day soon, we can recover and create new happy memories.

Your contribution will help us, as a young couple who lost everything they ever had and are desperately clinging to hope in humanity, will in fact give us a chance to flee death and dream of life. We count on you to donate whatever you’re able to and share with as much of your connections as you’re willing to.

To ensure transparency and a secure transfer of funds, my aunt Rola in Portugal will be helping us manage this fundraiser and will be the one overseeing the account and receiving the donations on our behalf.

With heartfelt thanks,

Mai & Mohanad