Help Leena’s Family to evacuate from Gaza
Donation protected
Disclaimer: Hani Mortaja, my friend is helping me withdraw the campaign money since GFM doesn't operate in Palestine or Egypt.
Dear Kind Hearts,
My name is Mahmoud and I’m organizing this fundraiser to evacuate my family from the ongoing war in Gaza to Egypt where I’m right now.
My family’s situation in my sister Leena’s words:
In the shadow of war's relentless turmoil, my family's journey has been marked by loss, displacement, and a ceaseless fight for survival. I am Leena Shamiya, a voice from the heart of Gaza's war, where the concept of 'home' has become a fleeting memory, replaced by the harsh reality of evacuation shelters and the cold embrace of a tent that offers little protection against the elements.
Our story began on October 7th, when our lives changed completely thereafter. We have been displaced several times, living through destruction and facing incursions by the Israeli occupation forces. We couldn't even recognize our home after witnessing its devastation and what they did to it.
We evacuated to the south, specifically to Khan Younis, when the occupation ordered us to evacuate northern Gaza. Here, we parted ways with our father, who is a doctor in hospitals in northern Gaza and remains there to this day. We haven't seen him since the beginning of the war. In Khan Younis, we sought refuge in a destroyed house, trying to repair it and cover its openings to live in it somehow, seeking a little safety. But in reality, there is no safe place because the army shells everywhere without regard for anything.
- This is the destroyed house and how we covered it with the simplest methods to live in it.
The displacement story didn't end there. After a while, the occupation forces ordered us to leave Khan Younis and go to Rafah, claiming it to be a safe area. We moved to Rafah and lived in a tent, where I will now tell you about the suffering and life in the tent. We live in a tent unsuitable for human life, surrounded by garbage and sewage from everywhere. Diseases and pollution are rampant. we sleep nearly 30 people next to each others because there's no enough space. We suffer and cry every day from back pain and other problems caused by sleeping on the ground. Also, our bodies are exposed to bites and stings from insects. I’ll show you pictures of this. We also suffer from a lack of cleanliness due to the scarcity of water; we can barely bathe. Imagine being lucky just to take a shower once every two weeks!
- As you see, this is our tent, and this is the sewage that surrounds us, and this is part of what insects do to our bodies.
We all used to love winter, but never imagined living it in a tent, now we hate it and wish for the rain to stop and the season to end quickly. The rain floods us, soaking all our belongings, clothes, and sleeping area every night. We catch colds and the flu, unable to alleviate the symptoms due to the lack of medicines like painkillers and antibiotics. Also, our bones ache at night from the cold, and we don't have enough blankets to keep ourselves warm.
We really lack the basic necessities of life: no food, water, or electricity. Even if they are available, they are contaminated, causing us to get sick. We have all lost a lot of weight due to the lack of food and its poor quality, relying on aid containing poor canned food. And if you want to buy supplies and food from the market, the prices are very high; no one can afford to buy enough of what they need. Also, there is no internet in the area where we live in Rafah. If you want to use the internet, you have to walk a long distance to an area that is dangerous to your life just to be able to use the internet for a short period to share your story.
- This is how we cook, as there is no cooking gas or supplies, so we are forced to cook and bake on firewood, which causes us many respiratory problems from the resulting smoke and the smell of burning.
Let me now tell you a little about our lives before the war.
We had a very beautiful life. My younger sisters, Dana and Jamana, loved life, clothes, photography, and creating content on social media platforms like Instagram, as well as filming vlogs and daily life and sharing them on their YouTube channel. Now their lives have turned into fear and terror, their joy completely stolen, their education stopped, and instead of creating content, they wash clothes with their small hands and light fires to prepare food.
And I also had a life like everyone else. I was studying translation at Al-Azhar University in my third year, with only one year left until graduation. But unfortunately, the occupation completely destroyed my university, and I had no dreams left after that. I really hope that one day I can continue my studies safely and live the dream of graduation that was only one step away from me and suddenly stolen.
We are all like you, we had lives, memories, stories, education, friends, and homes, but they ended and were stolen from us suddenly. Believe me, the words will not end if I want to express everything inside me and what we are currently living.
So with a heavy heart, I turn to you, our global community, for support. We are launching this campaign to secure a safe haven for my family, away from the horrors that have become our daily reality. This fund will enable us to find stability, continue our education, and perhaps, dare to dream again.
Your contribution, no matter its size, is a ray of light in our darkest hours. It is not just a donation but a lifeline that pulls us closer to hope, to safety, and to a future where the term 'home' regains its warmth and security.
We are immensely grateful for any support you can offer, be it through a donation or by sharing our story. Together, we can rebuild from the ruins of despair and forge a path toward healing and renewal.
Thank you for standing with us and hear from me.
With gratitude,
Leena Shamiya
Organizer and beneficiary
Mahmoud Shamia
Organizer
Ixelles
Hani Mortaja
Beneficiary