"My name is Said... and this is my story"
My name is Said Mohammad Esleem, a young man from Gaza City, Palestine.
I used to work as a software engineer from home: relying on my laptop to support myself and my family.
I live with my elderly parents: Mohammad Said Esleem and Raeda Yaseen Esleem, both of whom are in fragile health .. especially my father, who suffers from chronic high blood pressure.
My brother, Ahmad Mohammad Esleem, works as a voice-over artist and had been slowly building his setup with basic equipment.
We all lived together in a modest home in Gaza: myself, Ahmad, my sister Noor Mohammad Esleem, and her three children: Yousef Muhannad Hamada, Mohammad Muhannad Hamada, and Hassan Muhannad Hamada.
Despite the hardships, we were trying to build a dignified life.
Then came the war: and it destroyed everything.
- Everything Was Gone in Seconds
When the war started, we received a warning that our home would be bombed.
We ran out quickly: taking nothing with us but our lives.
Moments later, the house was reduced to rubble.
All our belongings, memories, and tools for survival were gone.
I lost my only laptop: the tool I depended on for income.
Ahmad lost all his voice..over equipment: microphones, recording gear, everything.
It was a devastating blow to our work: our stability and future.
- From a Home to a Broken Tent
We fled to a torn, makeshift tent that offered no protection from the intense heat or cold nights.
A full family .. including elderly parents and small children .. now trapped under a thin piece of cloth with no safety or comfort.
My father: who relies on daily medication for his blood pressure, saw his condition worsen without access to treatment.
My mother: could not bear the heat and the terrible conditions of displacement.
Life became unbearable.
- Children With No Childhood
My sister Noor also lost her home.
Her three children ... Yousef, Mohammad, and baby Hassan .. were left without shelter: education: or the basic rights of childhood.
Yousef had dreams of returning to school: but the war took that away.
Hassan: who was born just days before the war began, opened his eyes to the sounds of bombs and fear.
He doesn’t know peace: and he has never experienced safety or comfort.
He now needs infant formula and diapers: which we simply cannot afford.
- Illness Without Medicine
My father’s condition has worsened severely due to the complete lack of medication.
Hospitals are either overcrowded or inaccessible: and medicine is nearly impossible to find.
Every day we pray he holds on: but we are running out of time and hope.
- Hunger Is Tearing Our Family Apart
Every day is a struggle to find something .. anything .. to eat.
Yousef and Mohammad cry from hunger: and we have nothing to feed them.
There is no clean water: no cooking gas: no electricity: and barely any food.
Even vegetables and rice have become luxuries: with prices reaching impossible levels.
Baby Hassan still needs infant formula and diapers: but we have no money to buy them.
- We Are Desperately Asking for Help
We are not sharing this story to complain: but because we truly have no other options left.
We need your help to survive: to feed our children: get medicine for our father: and find safe shelter for my mother: my sister: and her children.
Any support you can give .. no matter how small .. could change our lives.
- How the Donations Will Be Used
The donations will be used entirely to support my displaced family currently living in Gaza City, Palestine. The funds will cover:
• Food essentials such as: flour: rice: and vegetables
• Baby supplies: infant formula and diapers for baby Hassan
• Medical needs: especially blood pressure medication for my father
• Emergency shelter: to provide a safer and more stable place to stay
• Clean water and hygiene products: for basic health and sanitation
I will provide updates and details on how the donations are being used whenever possible: to ensure full transparency.
- Help Us Stay Alive
Our lives have come to a stop: but our hope in people like you remains.
We are trying to hold on for those we love: but the situation is far beyond what we can endure alone.
Your support could be the light that saves us from this long: dark moment.
Organizer and beneficiary
Said Esleem
Organizer
Philadelphia, PA
Charlie Altman
Beneficiary



