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This fundraiser is organized by Lana Shawa Savoca, a Palestinian American living in Connecticut. Though Lana is not directly related to Besan, her family in Gaza knew Besan’s family well. It was Lana’s uncle, Marwan Shawa, who urged her to take action—to help this devastated young girl, completely innocent and a victim of Israel’s relentless attacks.
This is Besan’s heartbreaking story—a young girl who has lost everything and is in desperate need of support. She deserves safety, care, and a chance to heal. Any help, no matter how small, can make a difference in her life. Basem’s story:
Besan Saaed Ali Shaban: A Survivor’s Tragedy
On April 12, 2024, 18-year-old Besan Saaed Ali Shaban lost everything.
She was at her grandfather’s home in Gaza City when an Israeli warplane bombed it, reducing the house to rubble and taking the lives of her entire family—nine precious souls. Her father, Saaed (47), her mother, Ghada (41), her four sisters, Maram (24), Rozan (21), Noran (20), and Remas (10), and her three brothers, Waseem (17), Abed Al Kareem (15), and Yamen (12)—all gone in an instant.
Besan was critically wounded. She suffered severe burns, and her leg was shattered. But what happened next was even more heartbreaking.
Rescue workers, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of death, believed her to be one of the many lifeless bodies. In their efforts to clear the wreckage, they tossed her, along with her family, from the second floor down to the rubble below for burial. That was when someone finally noticed—amidst the dust and devastation—a small figure clutching a doll. It was Besan.
She had survived, but her body was broken. Her leg had fractured from the fall, and for six agonizing months, she remained in a cast before she could walk again without crutches.
Since that day, Besan has been alone. With no surviving family, she has spent the past months in a makeshift hospital, frail and grieving, in a world that has taken everything from her.
Her story is one of unimaginable loss, but it is also a cry for help.
Besan needs care. She needs a safe home. She needs people to remember her name and not let her suffering be forgotten. Please share her story. Please donate if you can. She has no one left but us.
A news story about Basem in Arabic:
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