Supporting the Rozan Family in Gaza to Rebuild Their Lives

Hello, I'm Rozan

I'm writing to you today after more than seven months since the beginning of this devastating war. With deep sadness, I want to tell you that I have suffered a serious health setback due to displacement and the harsh conditions we are living in, where cleanliness and humane living conditions have become limited. Unfortunately, I have been afflicted with serious skin diseases and stubborn internal inflammations, and I am now in desperate need of specialized care and suitable nutrition. The doctor prohibits me from consuming any regular food, and the problem is that we have no alternative food, and we don't know what to do. Please, pray for my speedy recovery, as the worst part is that there is no available treatment for me in these harsh conditions. Our story now needs your support and assistance more than ever.

My name is Rozan Sawalhi, I am 33 years old, and I am a mother of four children from Gaza City, Palestine.

My dear friend Katja, and I are organizing a fundraising campaign on behalf of our my family the consists of six members, including my four precious daughters: Tala, Hala, Leen, and Wafa, along with my husband, as we strive to survive amidst unimaginable hardship.

Living without basic amenities like bathrooms only adds to our anguish, Our lives took a tragic turn on that fateful day, October 10, 2023, when our entire home and neighborhood in the Al-Karama district were ravaged by bombs.

Since then, we've been displaced three times, fleeing from one place to another, until finding refuge in Rafah city, on the Egyptian border.

Our days are plagued with the relentless struggle for clean food and water.

Too often, we're left with no choice but to consume contaminated sustenance

The scarcity of clean water compounds our misery, forcing us to drink from polluted sources.

Due to the already bad situation in Gaza, my husband has become unemployed.

On top of the terrifying war, my family have been repeatedly getting sick for the past two months with no access to medical treatment.

The lack of food, water, and basic supplies only worsens their conditions. Gaza was also describing "unlivable, "With Israel announcing a ground entry into Rafah, my family lacks a safe refuge and must evacuate the Gaza strip. This situation underscores the urgent need for our intervention.

This is a direct quote from my daughter "Tala" describing what we are going through:

"We were a family living in a very beautiful and warm home. Just two days before the war, my father returned from a trip abroad for work, and our family welcomed his return with joy and happiness. On Thursday, October 6, 2023, we were celebrating my father's safe return at our home, and we were also celebrating my sister Hala ninth birthday. We had other relatives and family members with us, and the evening was filled with happiness and laughter. But the next day, life took a tragic turn, and our joy turned into tragedy. We have witnessed five wars, but we have never witnessed anything as cruel as this. We couldn't close our eyes for a whole week from Intense fear and crying. On that fateful day, at four o'clock in the morning, we fled fearing for our lives, leaving everything behind, carrying only our lives, even our clothes and personal belongings, and our little toys, we couldn't carry them due to extreme fear.

Photos from the birthday party:

We moved to the center of Gaza Strip, where Israel claimed it was a safe area. After two weeks, we were forced to flee to Al-Zawayda town for the second time. Death is chasing us all, we lived this nightmare again on a red night, after the house was bombed. It was the night before the military tanks entered the area. This time we were evacuated to the south of Gaza Strip, to Rafah.

I am Tala Al-Sawalhi and this is my family. We don't want to die and be buried in mass graves without anyone knowing where we are. Help me and my family leave Gaza so we can continue our lives as ordinary souls, not haunted by death every minute."

With your support and generosity, we aim to raise a target amount of 60K€ .

"A quote from my husband Ashraf speaking about what we are going through."

We live in constant fear, haunted by the specter of threats and bombardments.

Darkness has engulfed our lives for over four agonizing months.

We've lost everything — our home reduced to rubble, my job obliterated, our sources of income gone.

Now, all we cling to is the fragile thread of hope, hoping against hope to survive another day.

We implore you, our fellow human beings, to heed our desperate plea.

With heavy hearts, we beseech you to help us secure safe passage through the Rafah crossing.

We share with you images of our shattered home, a testament to the devastation we've endured.

Greetings to you, Ashraf and Rozan family

With Gratitude,

Rozan M Elsawalhi