Hello,

My name is Concepta and I am writing from Shropshire in the UK. It’s with deep grief and sadness that I share Mohammed Jamal Abu Samra was killed just a month shy of his 36th birthday on 14.08.2024, leaving behind his wife, Basma, and their two young children, Ahmed (6) and Lareen (4). They are all grappling with the immense weight of this loss.

Mohammed was from Qizan Abu Rashwan, a semi-agricultural area south of Khan Younis. Since June, I had been helping him raise funds to survive the ongoing horrors, with hopes that one day he could either evacuate if the Rafah crossing reopened or rebuild a dwelling on his father's land to live in dignity with his family.

Now, tragically, Basma is doing everything she can to keep the family afloat. She and the children are staying with her father in Khan Younis city. They are struggling to meet even basic needs, like replacing Lareen's shoes.

Mohammed was a kind, devout husband and father who did his best by his family. His absence is profoundly felt.

I miss our conversations and even the misunderstandings we shared through translation.

Everyday life in Palestine is unbearably expensive now, with the cost of basics inflated by an impossible combination scarcity and exploitation. I hope we can come together to support Basma in her time of need.

Thank you for opening your hearts to this beautiful family who deserve so much more than the world is giving them right now. I have left the text of Mohammed's original campaign below.

Best wishes,

Concepta

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Stop - don't scroll by. See me. Hear my story. My name is Mohammed Abu Samra. I'm 36 years old, a husband, a father to two small, beautiful children, a brother, a son, a teacher, a WordPress programmer, and a Palestinian from Gaza. I lived a happy, fulfilled life probably not too different to yours until October last year when two bombs changed everything. No more commute, no more dropping my son Ahmed to kindergarten, but day after day of destruction, suffering and fear. Help us to rebuild our lives.

I am very self-sufficient and a bit of an introvert so the demands of social media and fundraising don't come naturally to me, but I need to keep my family alive and safe. After almost a year of violence and blockades stopping aid from entering the country or people from getting out, I am left with little choice. We want to survive. You can help us.

Before the war I lived on my family's smallholding that my father had lovingly planted with olive and lemon trees two decades before. When the bombs hit, our beautiful home where I had been decorating my family's apartment was totally destroyed along with these trees that used to bring us so much joy.

Now we live in a tent made from the summer awnings of the ruins of my home, which is too hot in the summer and won't be sufficient to protect us in the winter. When we can't get gas we burn the remains of our furniture to cook our food - can you imagine it? I have to walk for miles in the early morning in search of clean drinking water because the municipal infrastructure has been almost totally destroyed. And it's a similar struggle to find a good enough internet connection to be able to post this. We want to start again.

Please help us, my children deserve to be able to learn and to play and to have a normal childhood free from fear.

We urgently require funds to cover the following costs:

1. Personal Expenses: As it is impossible for us to work we need funds to cover our day-to-day living expenses. We do not currently have simple things like lighting for our tent and our diet is now poor causing long-term malnutrition and health problems.

2. Clothing, Bedding, Basic Furnishing: Our house was bombed twice leaving us with minimal clothing and bedding, we hope to be able to replace these and my children need new shoes.

3. Transport Costs: The situation is constantly changing in Gaza and it is hard to plan but should the Rafah crossing open again, we hope to raise enough funds to be able to evacuate to safety.

4. Adequate Shelter: I have built a tent for my family out of the material from our summer awnings but this is perishing in the intense heat and sunlight. I would like to built something more sustainable to shelter us, especially if we need to be here in the winter - we do not yet know.

4. Short-term Accommodation: Renting an apartment in Egypt for a short period is crucial for us to plan our next steps when we make the crossing.

5. Travel Tickets and Accommodation Costs: Funds are needed for travel tickets and other accommodation costs as we seek a safer and more stable environment.

6. Starting Over: Additional support for some basic expenses to help us restart our lives.

Any and all help you can provide would make a huge impact on being able to meet these challenges. Your generosity and solidarity will give us the means to access adequate shelter, clothing and eventually safety and the chance to rebuild our lives.

We are so grateful to you all for your support, no matter how small during this time. Please do not hesitate to get in contact should you require any information or clarification.