I am Nour Alnaami, a Palestinian from Gaza. I left Gaza in 2019 and visited for the first time in August 2023, leaving on October 2nd—just one week before the war started. I decided to create this fundraiser to help my sister and her family survive the horrific war on Gaza that has been ongoing for more than 250 days.

The idea to create this fundraiser never came to my mind until June 8th. I am not sure if this date reminds you of anything, but I believe the Al-Nuseirat Camp Massacre will. On that day, my sister and her children literally survived death! I have no other way to support her, so please read her message thoroughly:

"This is Aya Sulaiman, a mother of two children: Majd, 7 years old, and Nour, 3 years old. I just turned 32 a few days ago and have no wish but for this terrible war to come to an end. My purpose has always been to raise my children and provide them with the best life possible. But what has been going on since October 2023 has left us hoping only to stay alive!

Since October 7th, my family and I have been struggling to survive this barbaric war. Our consistent wish was, and still is, to never lose or see any member of the family get hurt. I never imagined being forced to leave my house or my whole city, Gaza.

However, this war forced us to leave our house for more than 4 months and seek refuge elsewhere (there is literally no safe place in Gaza). We finally could get back at the end of February 2024, although it is still not completely safe to return. The house was nothing like the one we left! It was targeted by a missile and left almost uninhabitable. My kids were terrified when they saw it. Therefore, my husband and I tried to fix what we could to be able to live in it. And here we are again, continuing our struggle to survive.

June 8th was even worse than the worst nightmare. It was noon when the terrible noise of constant bombings everywhere started (the bombing never stopped, but at that specific hour, it was unlike anything we had ever heard). I started looking out the window to understand what was going on. Then my son screamed, “Mom, a tank is coming toward our house.” He was standing opposite me, looking through the destroyed wall in our house. In the blink of an eye, I carried my daughter, held my son’s hand, and went downstairs to my in-laws' apartment. My children and I were extremely terrified. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. All I thought about was that the tank was coming toward us and I MUST get my children out of the house. I took my children and ran out. I could hear the noise of the tank shooting at my house behind me! All the people were running, fleeing to where it was supposed to be safer! But the bombing was literally coming from EVERYWHERE.

I kept running in the streets, hearing people screaming. I couldn’t recognize the streets and asked the people around me where we were and where we should go. I am trying to convey the terrible experience my children and I went through at that time, but I will never be able to capture the true feeling we experienced. Just imagine a mother carrying her little toddler, her other child clinging to her, all of them terrified. We kept running from the east of Al-Nuseirat Camp until we reached the middle of it. We hid in a house until my brother could come and take us to my family’s house. We survived, but we will never heal from this trauma.

Our story doesn’t end here. We are back at our house. Again. We can hear the tank shooting around us ALL the time. My children are still in shock, and they keep asking me if we will run away again. I have no answer for this question because nothing is unlikely to happen in this hysterical war. I want, and wish, to save my children from this unjust world."

As you can see in the attached photos, my sister's house is destroyed. I don’t need to say more than what my sister has expressed. I only ask you to help her and her family rebuild their lives. I wish for them to leave Gaza and start a new life away from the war. I wish for her children to have a normal life, to feel safe, and never feel terrified again. So PLEASE donate and share my sister’s story with others.

Your donation, no matter how small, can make a significant difference in providing them with the basic necessities and support they need to overcome this unimaginable ordeal. Together, we can bring a glimmer of hope and comfort to their lives. Donate now and be a part of their journey towards healing and rebuilding. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

(p.s. The cover picture is of me with my nephews, Majd and Nour, during my last visit to Gaza.)