Welcome, my name is Samah Alakhsham, I live in Belgium and I am organizing this fundraiser for the family of my dear friend and relative, Islam Al-Jeraisi.

Before sharing her family's struggle, I would like to tell you a little about who Islam is. Islam is a kind-hearted, generous, and resilient woman whom I have known for many years. Beyond our friendship, we are connected through family ties, which makes witnessing her suffering even more heartbreaking. Despite the distance and the difficult circumstances that have separated us, she remains very close to my heart. Let me share their story with you.

Islam and her family live in the Al-Muntazah refugee camp in Gaza. Islam is a mother of three children: Anas, who is 9 years old; Massa, who is 5 years old, and Fouad, who is 4 years old. She has no income or salary, despite studying at the Faculty of Languages and previously having a good job; like most people in Gaza, her savings have been totally depleted by almost three years of siege and genocide.

Her house has been completely destroyed since the beginning of the war; additionally, it is located very close to Israel’s Yellow Line, which makes the area far too dangerous to return to.

The camp Islam’s family lives in, like most camps, provides only a tent for the family to live in, and does not provide any meals or water aid for the families living there. This tent offers little protection from the weather, from freezing cold temperatures in winter to scorching heat in summer. In addition to being displaced from their home, and experiencing several further displacements since, the family has become malnourished over the past year as Israel has continued to limit the food and aid that is allowed through the borders. This is an especially difficult situation for them.

Before the war, Islam dedicated everything she had to give her children safe, healthy lives in an ideal educational and psychological environment. Now, the children have been forced to go without attending school, which costs money as everything in Gaza does. Despite the physical danger the family is facing constantly, the psychological damage of these conditions worries Islam most. Read her own words:

‎‏”I am not asking for much—only to secure some basic necessities of life: a place that can hold memories of a childhood worthy of them and of their hearts, and many other essential needs. My children are wonderful, intelligent, and clinging to the last remaining threads of hope in their lives.

‎‏Help them hold on to that hope, and help me save what remains of my children’s emotions—emotions that war has exhausted with fear, displacement, loss.”

How the funds will be used:

Food and clean drinking water – $5,000: To provide daily meals, drinking water, milk, and essential food supplies for my three children and me, as we currently have no stable source of income.

Shelter and living conditions – $4,000: To purchase a new tent, protective covers, wooden materials to reinforce the shelter, a water storage tank, bedding, blankets, and other basic items needed to improve our living conditions.

Clothing and basic necessities – $2,000: To provide clothing, shoes, hygiene supplies, and other daily necessities for my children and me.

Emergency and medical expenses – $3,000: To cover urgent medical care, medications, transportation, and unforeseen expenses.

Emergency reserve for the children – $9,000: A reserve fund of $3,000 for each child to help cover unexpected emergencies, future essential needs, or costs arising from sudden crises and difficult circumstances.

Other expenses – $3,000: To cover additional necessary expenses that may arise and are difficult to predict in advance, including replacement of damaged belongings, household essentials, and other urgent family needs.

Total goal: $26,000

These funds will help provide food, clean water, safer shelter, clothing, emergency support, debt relief, and greater stability for my three children and me during this challenging time.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please contribute to help this family survive. Everything helps, no matter how small the donation, but please give generously if you’re able - the need is desperate.