From a Dignified Life to Displacement Tents – Alaa & Batool

My name is Sara, and I reside in Wisconsin, USA. I am helping to fundraise for Batool and Alaa from Gaza, Occupied Palestine. Please take a moment to read this family’s story, and please, consider donating even just the minimum of $5. If we all work together, we can help a family survive.

Here is the family’s story, in their own words:

“We are Alaa and Batool, a small family from Rafah – Gaza. We once had a simple, stable life. But everything changed in an instant when the war broke out — the most devastating war we have ever endured in Gaza.

A year and a half ago, we were forced to flee our home, leaving behind our house, our dreams, and the childhood memories we cherished. Everything that once felt safe vanished. From that moment, our journey with pain and loss began. We found ourselves in unfamiliar places, living under unimaginable conditions — with no real shelter, no place to feel safe.

From one tent to another, we kept moving, searching for a corner of safety. But all we faced was the harsh cold, the burning sun, and thin fabric walls that offered no protection. Every time we escaped, the bombs would follow us to the next place.

On the second day of Eid, we were displaced again — for the seventh time. We are trapped in a never-ending cycle of displacement, living in what feels like a giant prison. Our lives, dreams, and even our spirits have been crushed. We have become bodies without souls.

The conditions we live in are unbearable: constant displacement, no access to clean water or regular meals, and no electricity for over 16 months. We are forced to drink contaminated water, which has led to widespread stomach infections, including H. pylori. Prices have skyrocketed, and at times, we can’t even find the basic necessities we need to survive.

Just one month before the war started, I had graduated with a degree in Multimedia and Web Development. I was full of passion and eager to begin my career. But everything I built was destroyed — my office, my computer, my art supplies, all buried under the rubble. There is no space left for me to rebuild my future.

My husband Alaa was working as a technical manager in a reputable company. He did everything he could to provide us with a decent life. Today, he has lost it all — his job, our home, our sense of safety, and our dreams.

Now, we live in a temporary tent — no proper roof to protect us from the cold or the sun, no clean food, no safe shelter.

Our biggest dream today is simply to have one room to call home, and a clean meal that won’t make us sick.

We share this message with heavy hearts, hoping someone might help us survive this genocide and support our basic living and shelter costs. Any support we receive will help us cover the essentials of daily life.

Food is extremely hard to come by. Even a single daily meal costs around $50, a bottle of water is $10, and a basic tent for shelter costs $1,000.

If our story reaches your heart, we ask you to help — by sharing it, supporting us financially, or even emotionally.

Help us live again. Help us — because your humanity is our only hope.

And still, in the midst of all this, we continue to search for hope — for a chance to rebuild even a tiny part of the life we lost. We are not asking for much, just a dignified life, a safe space, and a warm meal to get us through the day.”