On October 14, 2023, my life changed forever. My family and I were forced to leave our home in north-central Gaza due to the relentless bombing.
We carried only a few belongings and memories, heading south to Rafah, hoping to find safety.
We were all together: my father, mother, grandmother, my wife, and my two brothers. The journey was filled with fear, explosions echoing around us, but we kept telling ourselves, *“At least we’re together — we will endure.”*
Weeks passed slowly.
Life in displacement was harsh beyond words. No electricity, barely any food, and almost no clean water.
We would share small pieces of bread and search desperately for safe drinking water.
Prices of food skyrocketed — everything became unaffordable, even the most basic essentials.
Then came December 14, 2023 — a day that shattered my heart. The house we were sheltering in was bombed.
In one single moment, I lost everything. My father, my mother, my grandmother, my wife, and one of my brothers were gone. Only my other brother and I survived, pulled from under the rubble, carrying pain too heavy to describe.
Today we are living through real famine. Finding food is almost impossible, and when we do, prices are unimaginable. Clean water is a luxury we rarely have. Safety is gone; fear follows us every moment, and the cold bites us at night.
Every morning I wake up wondering how we will survive another day.
But I try to hold on, for the sake of my family’s memory — for the sake of life.
My name is **Thaer Al-Haddad**, and I’m writing this from the heart of suffering, asking for your support. Any help you give us means survival: a piece of bread, a sip of water, or a roof to shield us from the cold and danger.
Every donation — no matter how small — makes a real difference in our lives.