Urgent appeal for Rewaa and her family in Gaza

Mira Abusamra is organizing this fundraiser.

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My name is Mira Abusamra. I am a Palestinian based in London. I was born in Gaza and lived there until the siege trapped me and my immediate family outside, however, I still have many relatives and friends back home. I am an Architecture graduate, and having spent most of my life in the UK, I feel a responsibility to help the ones living under the brutal siege and constant Israeli bombardment.

I am fundraising for Rewaa Al-Talouli and her family, a family that is currently living under the genocide in Gaza and has experienced a heartbreaking and horrific few months. The donations aim to help with an urgent appeal, allowing them to continue living and having money to rebuild their lives. Rewaa, currently living in a tent with her family, has explained her story in Arabic. I have translated it into English below.

My name is Rawaa, and my husband is Ahmed. I have three children; Shafiq (9 years), Hiyam (5 years), and Ayloul (3 months). We lived in a rented house and decided to buy an apartment; we withdrew loans and deprived ourselves of many things to do so. In October 2023, the Israeli carpet bombing began, and we had to flee our home in the north of Gaza to save our family. From then on, we moved from place to place to escape inevitable death, like most Palestinians in Gaza.

My mother, my aunt, my uncle, his children and grandchildren were also displaced in north Gaza at a relatives house. Families were cut apart with minimal possible communications. Any relatives house that hadn’t been demolished became shelter to more relatives. Just hours after I was able to hear my mother’s warm voice and her contagious laughter, their shelter got bombed and levelled to the ground. They were all martyred in their sleep, and I couldn’t see them one last time.

Eventually, we received the news that the apartment building we bought had been levelled to the ground. Despite my many debts, my house was beautiful, full of warmth and comfort. My children's toys and memories were in it. We had such beautiful times living in there as a family; it was very emotional when we had to vacate it, but when we heard there would be no home to return to, we were distraught. We lost everything: we lost our loved ones, we lost our livelihood, lost all our belongings and our home, A feeling that no one can understand or comprehend.

We are tired of this war in which we were displaced eight times from terror, fear, hunger and thirst. With every missile launched, we hear the terrifying sounds and see the fear in the eyes of our children, unable to do anything to protect them. My heart is shattered and restless. The inner child in me is vulnerable, wishing to cry and scream, but I do not have the luxury to cry or scream. I have children, for whom I have to keep my strength together.

There are many pains and situations, and if I talked about them, I would not be able to convey the feelings of pain, loss, sadness, fatigue, and exhaustion that we are experiencing. I want to see the light at the end of the tunnel and imagine rebuilding our lives.