Help survive & rebuild Salah & his family's lives

My friend Salah Eleyan, is a Palestinian from Gaza.

He left Gaza a year and a half ago to complete a master’s degree in quantum physics at Aarhus University in Denmark. I met him at one of the pro-palestinian demonstrations in Aarhus and his and his family’s story is the reason, I have started this fundraiser to help them.

Salah is a gentle soul. He is far away from his family, in a hope that he can make their future better. But after the genocide began in Gaza, everything changed. His nights are heavy with worry and the mornings are overwhelmed by images from Gaza. Contact with his family rarely succeeds and communication rarely lasts more than a few minutes, not even enough to narrate one night of terror. He has told me that he has difficulty seeing a future because in the end, what is the importance of anything in life without family?

The most important thing for us, his friends, is to make sure Salah and his family can survive this and regain their lives. With this campaign, and your help, we hope to add a little light to their dark struggle for survival.

Figure 1 On 10/2/2024, Salah was interviewed by the Danish newspaper Politiken, in which he talked about his thoughts and feelings away from his family.

On December 3, 2023, the house where Salahs middle sister, Asmaa, was taking refuge was bombed, killing her son Karam - Salahs nephew, and his family’s joy. Salahs sister was pulled out from under the rubble with her infant Maryam, suffering bruises, scratches and the unbearable loss of her son. Her apartment, which represented all the memories, pictures and keepsakes of her beloved Karam, was then totally destroyed by Israeli shelling, leaving her bereft of everything. (To learn more about this story, you can read her letter which was published in the Danish newspaper, Politiken Mom in farewell letter: A life without you, my little darling, can no longer be called a life - politiken.dk)

Figure 2 Asmaa's apartment after it was destroyed by Israeli tank shells in 22/01/2024

Later that same month, an occupation aircraft destroyed Al Awda Towers in northern Gaza, where Salahs older sister, Heba, lived with her husband and five children. Salahs sister, Heba, is currently moving between relatives’ homes in search of a place for them all to sleep.

Figure 3 Heba’s apartment appears destroyed in Al Awda Towers, north of Gaza

Salahs family home and Salahs apartment were also damaged by Israeli shells and drones. Everyone tries to sleep in the least damaged rooms in very poor living conditions exacerbated by extreme cold, humidity, and rain. To make matters worse, all of the remaining residents of northern Gaza, have been enduring a systematic process of starvation imposed on them by Israel’s blocking of aid. Salahs family have sometimes had to resort to grinding grain usually reserved for animal feed in combination with hay, as a substitute for flour. This has had a devastating impact on their health, with several members being admitted to hospital suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.

Figure 4 Bread made from barley and hay, the Salah family’s lunch in 02/28/2024

I and Salahs other Danish friends have initiated this funding campaign for Salah and his family to offer a chance for survival and the hope of rebuilding their lives. It is a lifeline aimed at sending much needed funds for food, drink and medicine, which may be available sometimes, but at exorbitant prices.

We are aware that the chances of rebuilding now are almost non-existent due to the ongoing genocide and the lack of building materials. However, in the coming months conditions must change. What has been collected during this campaign will be used to find shelter for two families who are now homeless and repairing Salahs other family’s partially destroyed homes. Please help him and his loved ones survive and rebuild their life.

For more information, contact Isabel Donen