Hello, we are Faraj and Rahaf.

Faraj is 4 years old, and Rahaf is 7. We survived a war that lasted two years in Gaza — but do you know the story of our survival?

During the first year and the first four months of the second year, we lived in northern Gaza, where there was heavy bombing, severe famine, and the loss of the home our father had built with great difficulty. Our small bodies tried sleeping everywhere — in schools, hospitals, on the streets, and in strangers’ houses. Did you know that we walked through corridors the occupation called “safe”? Soldiers surrounded us with their weapons and forces, shooting whenever they wanted and throwing sand in our faces. We saw all of this.

We lost our grandfather, who had been displaced to southern Gaza to treat his diabetes — it had led to the amputation of his toes, but he did not survive a missile strike in Nuseirat. We also lost our grandmother, who died in Egypt after her late evacuation for treatment. Now we live in tents because we have no home. Rahaf has not been able to attend school, and Faraj is learning how to collect bits of wood. This is our tragic childhood under occupation. Our mother and father have no jobs — they lost them in the war.

We are asking for your help so we can have basic necessities in our tent and so that we can attend classes in the centers that are trying to reopen their doors. You are our hope after this brutal war.

We love you.