Rising from the rubble of Gaza, Layla wants her life back.

Hi my name is Akbar and I work for an international development organization in Jordan. I'm fundraising for a young girl whose' dreams have been snatched from her in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks in Gaza. Layla was a youth delegate in one of our youth support events 3 years ago and I've known her since helping her on and off with her struggles in life. She has been a source of inspiration for people around her including myself. With some much going on in her life, she has shown great determination to carryon and help her family.

I am Leila Zaqout, and this is the first time I will try to write in simple terms so that some of you may understand and feel what I’m saying.

Since the seventh of October 2023, we have been losing our spirit bit by bit, surviving death by a miracle. As for our displacement, don't ask—we miss our home and everything about it. Since the seventh of October, we have been distanced from it, moving from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south after experiencing the 2023 Palestinian displacement. We did not know that everything would turn to rubble and our memories would remain as a bell tolling in a world of forgetfulness.

I speak to you on behalf of the Zaqout family, and this is my only means to explain what we are suffering. After the occupation destroyed everything my great-grandfather, Mr. Naeem Zaqout, owned—all his sources of livelihood estimated to be worth 3 million US dollars turned to ashes (including the Cairo International Hotel for weddings, Abu Khalil Zaqout’s laundry for all kinds of laundry and hospital laundry, and his home that took sixty-five years to build)—he is left with nothing but pictures, some memories, and the longing to return to nothing.

We faced death time and again, fleeing from place to place. After the sixth displacement, we are now sitting in a small modest tent, covering us on the Gaza beach in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. We are struggling to adapt and trying to keep our bodies alive as many diseases have spread. Let me inform you that my grandfather, Mr. Abu Khalil Zaqout, is an open-heart surgery patient who needs safety and comfort, both of which are completely absent in a tent that resembles a sauna. We are searching hard for his medicines, which are beyond our reach due to the occupation and the high cost of living here.

It’s okay, for I am Leila, who sees the brokenness in her grandfather's and father's eyes—to lose what you spent your life building, for everything to collapse in hours, to try to respond to a bitter reality, to search for hope amid the pain and from under the rubble of life?

Despite working in psychological support and my sincere efforts to raise their spirits, I felt that the only hope left for me was to turn to the entire world.

For the sake of my family, whom I love and fear losing, I have worked hard to help them with even a little of what they lost, to help them recover and rebuild what the occupation destroyed in seconds, so that smiles and hope may return to them once again

Layla’s life was once adorned with simple joys-a contented existence, the companionship of a cherished pet kitten, and the pursuit of education. As a dedicated pharmacy student at a local college (in her final year), she stood on the cusp of graduation, a mere seven months away from realizing her dreams. Yet, Layla’s impact extended beyond academia. She emerged as a beacon of community leadership and youth activism. Her days were filled with purpose, immersed in meaningful endeavors that touched the lives of those around her.

Whether organizing events, advocating for change, or lending a helping hand, Layla’s commitment to community work was unwavering.

Then October 7th happened. Layla and her family were constantly under threat and feared for their lives due to the non-stop bombing by planes. She saw her entire neighborhood destroyed in the war and had to leave her home and belongings behind during a nighttime escape from an overnight bombing raid by fighter planes. She escaped the destruction caused by a bomb near her house slightly injured. Layla, is now residing in a camp for internally displaced people in Gaza along with her family. She now faces daily hardships due to the difficult conditions in the camp.

The camp she lives in lacks electricity, clean drinking water, and sufficient food. With no income, her father struggles to provide for his family of eight. Layla and her brothers are tirelessly striving to make ends meet. She contributes to household chores by cleaning dishes and assisting her mother with cooking. Despite the challenges, Layla remains resilient in her efforts to support her family by helping other camp dwellers.

Due to the lack of clean drinking water Layla recently fell ill and upon diagnosis by a camp doctor, she received the terrible news that she is suffering from Hepatitis A. She and her family were devastated when they learnt about this chronic disease. She now needs constant medication and vaccination.

We (myself along with Layla and her family) are now requesting for funds for Layla's safe travel to Egypt with her family (parents, siblings, and grandparents), for her treatment at a good hospital to recover from this curable disease as she could have a long active life ahead of her, care for her mother and grandparents, completing her degree to become a pharmacist and a source of livelihood for her father such as a small hotel/guest house in Egypt in a rented property with a few rooms so that he can start earning for his family. The funds will help furnish the property with beds, chairs and air conditioners so that the hotel/guest house can be started. The eventual goal will be for her and her family to return home after the war, where she belongs. Let us give Leila her life back and for her to realize her dreams and give back to society where she belongs.

This is my grandfather Abu Khalil Zaqout , from Alnakba until nowadays , he evacuate more than hundred and hundred times to get safe place !

Direct quote from Leila:

Trying to find a large place to set 8 tents for his son and daughters!

The situation last night

Evacuation

"For over 170 days of the ongoing war, I've been doing more than my best to survive and to take care of my family from constant danger. Throughout this suffering, my unwavering dedication and commitment led me to work on-ground in the health field with save the children “SCI”, where I tirelessly worked to provide health aid and relief services to the countless displaced

people clustered in camps and shelters, all while suppressing my misery, pain, displacement, and fear.

I want to emphasize that, without exaggeration, we've genuinely assisted and rescued tens and even hundreds of thousands of lives during these frustrating times, often risking my own safety.

However, continuing to provide aid becomes increasingly impossible as the threat to my family increases with each passing day. In these dark days, I literally lost all that I have starting with my childhood home, university degree incomplete yet, a lot of my relatives, and a lot of friends

as well. My family is the only thing I have left in this world."