Support Gazan Theatre Artist Bassem Hussen Al Diwari

I am hosting this fundraiser for Bassem and his family. Here is his story: My name is Bassem Al-Derawi. I am a theater artist from Gaza. I used to live in Al Remal neighborhood in the center of Gaza city. I woke up on October 7th to the sounds of missiles and explosions and had to evacuate my house as the Israeli army "IDF" had threatened the neighborhood where I live and asked the residents to flee so we were forced to leave our house and this was our first displacement.

We were forced to leave the house urgently and suddenly due to the intensity of the bombing. We were unable to take most of our needs and clothes from the house. We had to move to my brother’s house in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood at the south of Gaza city. After the building next to my brother's house attacked, we were again forced to flee to Al-Maghazi refugee camp, which the IDF confirmed at the beginning that the southern area of Gaza's valley was a safe zone. This was our second displacement.

We had stayed for more than two months at my eldest sister’s house in Al-Maghazi refugee camp. we were suffering from power and internet outages, high prices of remained food and goods and lack of medicine and safety.

At 31th of December, the IDF directly attack my sister's house with a warning missile, so we were running for our lives and we had to flee to friend's house in the village of Al-Zawaida in the middle of Gaza Strip. We were seventeen people. My family, my brother's family, my sister's family. This was our third displacement.

As in Al Maghazi refugee camp and with the large number of people in one house without any services or infrastructure and a scarcity of the basics of food, drink and medicine. Life was barely bearable. Yet that wasn't our last displacement.

At the morning of 4th of January, we knew that the IDF killed my young sister along with her husband and her four sons after they bombed their house over their heads. The next night, the IDF invaded Al-Maghazi refugee camp and the western part of Al-Zawaida village. We were forced to evacuate for the fourth time to the city of Rafah.

In Rafah, we had to stay with friends and then for security we moved to a tent which wasn't suitable for habitation. After we learned that our house in Al Remal had been attacked and destroyed and my brother's house as well. We decided to move to Egypt. My mother sold the rest of her gold and we collected the remaining money we had for the travel fees.

We are now in Egypt and the money we have is about to run out. Now we are in need of money to live and to buy our simplest needs. We also need money to provide treatment for my mother and brothers who suffered from type two diabetes and hypertension and to pay rent as well. I am currently without work and I have no source of income.

Bassem Hussen

Thank you for reading Bassem's story. Anything you can contribute will help.

Lacey