Help Hassan, Saher, & Khaled Rebuild Their Home and Recover

I'm raising funds for my dear friend, Hassan, who along with his wife and young son is trying to rebuild his home and life following 15 months of displacement and destruction in Gaza. Here is Hasan's story:

"My name is Hassan, and this is my wife Sahar and our son Khaled. We used to live as a family in Gaza City, specifically on the outskirts of the Shati refugee camp for Palestinian refugees. My family never imagined that after the events of October 7, our dreams of a life filled with love and a prosperous future would transform into a nightmare.

At the beginning of my career, I worked various jobs to secure a stable position. Sahar is a devoted person who fills our home with love, and Khaled is our bright little boy who dreams of becoming a world-famous painter and a doctor who cares for children.

Our family has been forced to flee multiple times, leaving our home and navigating through dangers, including military tanks and destruction in northern Gaza. Unfortunately, escaping to the south did not bring us safety, as the cycle of death and destruction continued. We tried repeatedly to evade danger, but eventually, Sahar and I began to lose hope.

Like many residents of the Gaza Strip, we considered leaving, but our deep connection to our extended family prevented us from abandoning our loved ones, who would face their fate alone. We feel love, gratitude, and a strong bond with our fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters, who look to us for support. Though we contemplated gathering money to coordinate the passage of our entire family through the Rafah crossing, the exorbitant fees posed a significant barrier. As a result, Sahar, Khaled, and I chose to stay in Gaza throughout the war, placing our trust in God’s plan.

During this tumultuous time, we did not seek help; our main concern was staying safe. Deep down, I had little belief that we would return to our home after the war or see a ceasefire.

Then tragedy struck—an outcome we had not anticipated. A neighbour sent us photos of our apartment building, which had been our home for eight years. The images revealed that the building had been reduced to rubble after the sixth, seventh, and eighth floors were bombed. This shocking news shattered our hearts. We knew that every brick of our home was built with love and hard work, a place where we had shared countless memories.

Despite this devastating loss, we didn’t panic or fall into despair; instead, we expressed gratitude for still being alive amidst the ongoing conflict.

Now, after a ceasefire, my family is focused on returning to northern Gaza to rebuild our home and reclaim the warmth of our apartment. Rebuilding the place we cherished, where my wife and I created memories filled with love and laughter, is our priority.

Our home was a gathering place for family and friends during happy moments and simple occasions. Sahar and her sisters would laugh as they watched the Ramadan series and participated in singing contests on warm Saturday nights. Khaled would spend hours playing on the PlayStation after painting or singing songs he learned in kindergarten.

This was our family’s life before the war stripped us of our home and joy. Today, I humbly ask for your support in helping us rebuild and furnish our apartment so we can return to life and laughter after the war has taken so much from us for over 15 months.

The total amount required is $60,000 to rebuild the apartment, furnish it, and replace our destroyed belongings.

Thank you for your support. We remain hopeful that your humanity will recognize us as people in need."