For My Future and My Family’s Strength – I Need Your Support

Hello everyone, my name is Anas Salem, a citizen of occupied Palestine residing in Gaza strip . I and my family, consisting of 8 members, my age 20 years old and I am the eldest among my brothers. Therefore, it is my responsibility to try to help them get out of this genocide that we are experiencing. I will write to you some of the memories that It was before October 7, and what happened to us since the beginning of October 7!!

I was a valedictorian in the second year at the College of Engineering, Information Technology Department, at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. I was very happy that I finished my first year at university with an excellent grade and continued to achieve what I had aspired to throughout my academic career. From graduating, reaping the fruits of my studies, working, and settling down, I, my family of 8 members, and a cat named Rizo were living a quiet and beautiful life. We celebrated our small accomplishments, and each of us was striving to achieve our dreams. My parents worked tirelessly to raise us. We had a house in Gaza City, Al-Nasr neighborhood.

Our house was beautiful and spacious, filled with safety, peace, and many beautiful memories inside and in its beautiful garden filled with many trees. Our lives were more complete, financially and emotionally. We did not feel inferior or deprived of anything.

Our family was large, warm, loving, and cohesive, but on October 7th, the suffering began, and our lives were shattered in moments. On the second day after the war began, our house was destroyed, and in an instant our possessions, our dreams, our gifts , my brothers’ children’s toys... literally everything. Then we moved to the south to go to a safe area, as they told us. We went to my grandfather’s house in the central region. We entered a terrible reality. We fell into a harsh siege in which we suffered from all kinds of psychological and physical fatigue and starvation. The night was long, exhausting, and tiring, filled with the smell of bombing and the light of missiles and phosphorus bombs that Falling on us like rain, the looks of panic and fear every day were more difficult to describe. The screaming and terror of children was difficult for a human being to bear. The looks of my little brother Saif and his terror broke my heart.Looking into his eyes and seeing this fear in the eyes of a young child who had not committed a sin was very painful. We remained in this situation. For three months without the minimum necessities for life, then suddenly, everything became black and after a few moments I was trying to gather my strength, trying to realize what had happened and why I was sitting with my family and suddenly in an instant everything became black and after a few moments of thinking I realized that I was under The rubble of my grandfather’s house. I was trying to call out loud for my mother, father, sister, brother, anyone... Moments later, the rescue teams came and pulled me out from under the rubble. I was the first among my family to emerge safely from under the rubble of the house. After effort and suffering, the rescue teams were able to pull my family out. But unfortunately, my grandmother died (martyred) and my sister and aunt were seriously injured.

The occupation not only starved us and deprived us of the minimum necessities of life, but also targeted civilians, which led us to flee for the third time to the city of Rafah to search for safety. The false occupation also declared that it was a safe area, but it later became clear that there is no safe area in Gaza.

We arrived in Rafah, expecting that it would be a safe haven for us and the young children, but the reality was bitter and difficult, as the bombing and destruction did not stop. We didn't know where to go. Hunger and fatigue weakened our bodies, as we suffered from lack of money, food and drinking water amidst an indescribable scene of suffering. 

The suffering did not leave us as we received the news of the death (martyrdom) of my aunt as a result of her injuries as a result of the bombing that occurred on my grandfather’s house, which was sheltering the family. And the martyrdom of a number of my family members, may God have mercy on them. We lost everything; We have nothing left but souls exhausted by fatigue.

We did not find shelter for 8 people, most of them children, except for a small tent in Rafah, which was our last refuge, despite its cold and small area. We were deprived of access to the most basic necessities of life: water, food, safety, and warmth. Prices were very high, and obtaining food was difficult. Children’s illnesses increased and their health condition worsened due to lack of food and water pollution. Hepatitis spread among us due to pollution and shared bathrooms in the tent camp in which we live. We paid everything we had to get treatment to survive this disease.

Unfortunately, the educational system did not survive the brutal war. 5 out of 6 universities in Gaza were destroyed. Unfortunately, my university where I study was one of those universities. I had a moment of loss of hope and a feeling of despair, because destruction surrounded us on all sides, and dreams were fading before our eyes. But in these difficult circumstances we must find the strength to continue and build again. Hope can be born from rubble, and resilience can ignite the spark of faith in a better tomorrow.

Therefore, I find myself suffering from an unprecedented situation, and I am forced to reach out to you for your compassionate assistance to save my life. And my family, and to escape from this war, but the price of survival is high, as we have to pay 5,000 dollars For every one of us to evacuate Gaza and go to Egypt, we have lost everything but we do not want to lose our lives. I have no choice but to humbly ask for your help,

This fundraiser is a beacon of hope for us to survive, your contribution could mean the difference between survival and oblivion for my family and that is why my family and I are forever grateful for any support.

Anas Salem