Give the Abu Freih family hope for the future

Hi there, my name is Hafsa and I’m a geography teacher from Portsmouth in the UK. The Abu Freih family are my dear friends who live in Gaza. I have known them since 2011 and I will be personally responsible for transferring all donations.

The funds raised will help to support 2 families in rebuilding their lives after their homes in Jabalia were totally destroyed along with most of their possessions. Below you can see the disgusting mess their home was left in after apparently being used as a base by Israeli troops...

...then later, completely flattened:

Tragically, this is not the first time their lives have been turned upside down.

The cheeky little boy in orange at the top is Salah Abu Freih with his big brother Alaa (also pictured on the left). When Salah was just 4 years old their family home was destroyed in the 2008 Gaza war. Only a year later their beloved father - their role model, their financial support - was killed as well. He was just 33.

As a mother of 3 myself, I can’t even begin to imagine the challenge faced by Um Alaa as she struggled to raise Salah, Alaa and her two little girls Hiba and Randa, without their father, her husband and partner, nor even a home. Yet, by the will of God, and with help from family and friends, they persevered and built a modest life for themselves in northern Gaza. Here you can see Salah aged 14:

It was Salah's Uncle who took the family in initially, although he already had his own young family to provide for, including his daughter Amal, a school student who excelled in science, in geography, and especially in English; her two sisters and two brothers.

Fast forward to 2023, when the Abu Freih family had managed to build a modest life for themselves, despite the limited opportunities in Gaza. Salah (now aged 16) and Randa had not long moved into a new 2 bedroom apartment with their mother, their own place at last. Here you can see a picture of Salah in their new apartment:

Hiba and Alaa, the two eldest, had both got married and Alaa started his degree in Computer Programming. Salah and Randa continued at secondary school; Salah hoped to become a Policeman in the future, following in his father's footsteps.

Amal had just celebrated her 20th birthday and was starting her third year as a pharmacy student at Palestine University, when their lives were turned upside down once again. Over the years they had endured many periods of conflict, but never anything as bad as this.

Alaa and his wife were excited for the birth of their first child when the warnings for all residents to evacuate northern Gaza were announced, with no time to think about where they could go out what they should take with them, or whether they would ever see their homes and neighbours again.

Forced to flee, fearing for their lives, they could only bring with them a few possessions. As their homes, places of work, schools and universities were being bombed, the family sought refuge in Nuseirat camp in the middle of Gaza.

Here they have remained since, struggling simply to survive. Praying that they will not be victims of the next air strike or ground invasion.

Giving birth to your first child is terrifying enough as it is, let alone having to do it in the middle of a war zone. Yet here you can see beautiful little Nasser in his new home - a makeshift tent, where there is no bathroom, no clean water, no healthy food and limited access to electricity. Laundry must be done by hand and nappies and formula are hard to come by.

Amal’s dreams of becoming a Pharmacist, of graduating like her two older sisters - Ekhlas, a Nurse, and Asma, an English Teacher, have been shattered. Even if this conflict ceases - there are no longer any functioning universities in Gaza. Below you can see some pictures of Amal's uni (Palestine University in Al-Zahra). She tells me it is now designated a dangerous area - no one is allowed to go there and Amal doesn't know if she will ever be able to return to the place that allowed her to pursue her dreams and gave her many happy memories.

Some pictures of Palestine University, where Amal studied before the war:

Here you can see some images of Amal's inspirational sister Ekhlas, where she continues her work despite the dangerous conditions and limited supplies. She is currently living in Al-Awda hospital, risking her life to help others. Tragically, many of her patients are young children.

Now, no one in the Abu Freih family knows what the future holds for them; they live day to day, relying only on God to survive another day, to afford food, to avoid injury or falling ill.

After the conflict began I lost contact with the family and heard nothing for months. My messages to family members went unanswered. Fearing the worst I searched through friends lists on social media and eventually, to my great relief and happiness I was able to get back in touch a couple of weeks ago to hear that they had all survived, but in very harsh conditions. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of how the family are currently living:

I am now in direct contact with Amal (the member of the family who speaks English - sadly my Arabic is poor to non-existent!) who is keeping me updated on the family’s situation.

I have managed to transfer a small donation so far, just to buy some essentials, but I need help to give this family some small hope for the future. They have lost everything, and have very little even to buy food.

Your donation will go towards helping their immediate survival as well as, it is my hope, giving them enough to start to rebuild their lives.

Any donation, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated. If you are unable to donate please remember the Abu Freih family in your prayers. May God bless you.