Urgent Plea: Help Save My Family in Gaza.

Dear Humanity,

I am Muhammad from Gaza, from a family of six: my mother and four brothers.

I am deeply sorry to share with you this devastating news. We have been living in a war-torn area for many years, where words cannot truly describe how bad it is here. We are trapped in an open-air prison, living in tents with the bare minimum of access to water, food or even basic everyday supplies.

Due to the blockade on the Gaza Strip, we are living through the risk of dying at any second, if not from bombs, it will be from starvation, dehydration or disease.

Our Haven

My family and I worked tirelessly for many years to build our small yet beautiful house, which we call home. Over time, we managed to construct the first floor along with overall repairs and improvements here and there. But joy in Gaza is fragile; things took a turn for the worse.

Our home and its surrounding.

The footage on the left was taken on April the 18th of this year. Since that day, we no longer have access to our home at all; the entire area—my neighborhood, where I grew up—in Al Mughraqa/Netzarim was wiped out from the face of the earth, declared a very high-risk zone. Standing there alone, surrounded by the wreckage and destruction, felt like losing years of our lives. Forced out on October 7th, we left everything behind.

Bitter Displacement

We’ve been displaced multiple times—6 times to be precise—each time hoping for safety but never finding it.

We had evacuated all the way to the southern parts of the country—Rafah and Al Mawasi. Then back to central Gaza in Al Zawayda, Deir Al Balah, Al Maghazzi, etc. Displaced multiple times from one place to another, we temporarily took refuge in my grandmother's house in Al Nuseirat Camp. It was a moment of bittersweet relief, until we'd miraculously survived a massacre that day. The whole block around us was completely wiped out.

https://youtube.com/shorts/GM_iv1ZCtqY?feature=shared

[20th, Feb. 2024] - The ruined landscape of my grandmother's house and its surrounding.

Is there a greater hell than this?

A large number of houses have sadly been destroyed completely in an airstrike which targeted the entire residential area, and those families have lost everything. This shows that there is no safe place, no matter where you go. We were forced, yet again, to change location and be stranded.

Effects of the war on our Education & Work

All my siblings are university graduates majoring in various fields, from business to I.T., but due to high unemployment rates and the outbreak of the ongoing war, stable job opportunities remain out of reach. Despite losing our workplaces and struggling with job hunting which is pretty much non-existent, there’s a silver lining; both my eldest and younger brothers are very good at hand-drawn art, turning ideas into stunning masterpieces with a little imagination and a sense of effect.

You can see how much time and effort is put into each piece, minding the thoughtful concepts behind them.

As for our youngest brother, Sharaf, he has always carried a big dream of becoming a successful person in the world of business. But due to the catastrophic events, he was forced to discontinue his studies.

Despite all the challenges, he is still determined to complete his education. He has applied for several free scholarships abroad, and is awaiting a letter of permission. He dreams of achieving a higher goal, securing a brighter future for himself and providing support for his family.

Hardships of Every Day

Currently, we are living in a camp for the displaced under extremely harsh conditions. We are all gathered here, living a life that is nearly impossible to endure.

It's not easy to cope with this living state. The flimsy shelter we call a tent provides no protection from neither the blistering summer heat nor the bitter cold of winter, which has severe effects on my mother’s health. We're running short on many basic life necessities, especially as winter approaches in the next couple of weeks (By the time of writing these words).

Here's an image of my dear mother making tea using 'our stove'. We mostly make our food this way due to the lack of cooking gas.

Because of these unfortunate events, I’m reaching out for your support to cover our minimum living expenses, fund my brother's education abroad, and perhaps hold onto the hope of rebuilding our home someday. I would have never envisioned myself turning to crowdfunding for such a solution, but the situation is becoming more dire and difficult by the hour; with your generosity, we hope to find a safe, stable path forward and create better opportunities for our future.

We appreciate your humanity and solidarity in this critical time as living conditions are simply non-existent and untenable for us here at the moment. Sharing my message with anyone who could help would be as much helpful as donating a small amount.

I would also love to thank our friend Hazem for helping out my family by arranging and creating this account.

$1 USD = kr10.99 SEK

جزاكم الله خيراً.

I will keep you posted on the donations and how the money will be used.

With love and gratitude,

Muhammad.