Update: I am Mahmoud, Salem’s brother. I write to you with a heart heavy in grief. My brother Salem has passed away, a victim of the famine in the Gaza Strip.

He had been going hungry himself so his young children might have a little to eat. On that day, he went out once more, desperate to find even the smallest amount of food to bring home. While trying to secure it, he was struck and killed.

That was Salem’s final moment, even in his last breath, to feed and protect his little ones. His love for them was greater than his own life.

My name is Salem Rushdi Salem Obaid, ID No. 931646780.

I was born in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and my nationality is Palestinian. I currently live in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Palestine.

I am married and the father of six beautiful children:

Rushdi Salem Obaid

Noor Salem Obaid

Maryam Salem Obaid

Samar Salem Obaid

Zainab Salem Obaid

Nada Salem Obaid

Together with my wife Basma, we are a family of eight.

The journey to leave the Gaza Strip is extremely difficult and unbearably expensive. The coordination through the Hala office in Cairo, Egypt, costs $5,000 for each person over the age of 16, and $2,000 for each under that age. I hold only an expired passport, and no one else in my family owns one.

If we could begin preparing for departure, every traveler would still be required to have an identity card and a birth certificate just to register for crossing. And this is only the beginning of the long and exhausting process.

Life here has become nearly impossible. Most families can barely provide one meal a day for each person. Even finding safe drinking water has become a daily struggle. Your support is the only thing that gives us hope—hope that there is still light beyond the deadly darkness we are living in.

We have been left waiting endlessly, our lives suspended, like sheep waiting for the butcher’s knife. We do not want to die waiting. We only want a chance to live in safety and dignity.

With respect and hope,

Salem Rushdi Salem Obaid