I am Retaj Hani Al-Haddad, a thirteen-year-old Palestinian girl, living in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, Saturday, at 6 a.m., I woke up and started getting ready and putting on my school clothes. Without warning, there was a strong sound and the ground shook. We thought it was thunder and lightning, but we turned on the news and discovered that it was the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip. I took off my clothes. My family and I sat on the television screen watching the news. On the thirteenth of October 2023, on Friday, a decision was issued by the Israeli occupation that Gaza must be completely evacuated and we should head to the south of the Gaza Strip. We only took a bag containing important papers such as birth certificates and passports only, and we headed to the south and thought that it would be two days and we would return to our home and our normal life, but unfortunately we did not know that it was the last time we would see our home, and here we are today, approaching half a year. Until now, we will not return, and we do not even really know how long this situation will remain, and it looks like 1948 is happening again in 2023/2024. We lost the only thing we own, our house. We got displaced over 9 times to seek a safer place. We lived in an uninhabited places, took shelter in a car, and lived under a tent that didn’t protect us from the cold nor the rain. It's really painful .. Our father has cancer and needs to be checked and treated Our mother suffers from back pain, and before the war, she had mild pain, but imagine living in a tent & sleeping on the ground, she is really suffering from her back pain. There are no functioning hospitals and health centres. They are deprived of treatment, patients are receiving health care on the ground, martyrs are in bags, food from the Gaza Strip is running out and the situation is getting out of control. Hanan is the oldest sister (23 years old) a software graduate and wants job opportunities and building initiatives. She is passionate and the sky was her limit. Tala (20 years old ) is a second-year university student in general medicine and wants to complete her education and build her future. She is really smart and was planning her future. Jude (18 years old) wants to go to university and finish the final year of high school. She is also a soccer player who wants to achieve her dream. And I’m Rataj,

the little girl (13 years old), I want to go to school and continue my education, I am also a football player dreams of playing football These are the simplest dreams. we want to travel abroad, and this is very difficult and requires a large amount of money. So, we need your help.. I want to raise my voice and the voice of my family to you and say that the situation is miserable, but we are still alive and our dreams remain for a long time. We will not give up on our dreams. Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you help us the best you can. Your funding, even with the lowest amount, is a way to make things easier for us, so we can evacuate Gaza. Every dollar we’re receiving is a one step away from death.