Hi Everyone,

I am trying to get this family, my friend's sister, out of the war in Gaza as quickly as possible, and I will let her tell you her story...

I'm Elham Jomaa. I'm reaching out to you today with a heavy heart and a plea for urgent assistance.

I have a psychological counseling certificate. I'm married to Karam Jumaa, and we have four children, Sajid, 13 years old, Youssef, 10 years old, Naya, 6 years old, and Maria, 4 years old. We were a happy and simple family and we tolerated a lot until the war came on October 7, after ten days of the war, on the 17th specifically, the disaster and tragedy occurred. It seemed like a normal day and I was making lunch. A barrel of explosives and missiles fell on our neighbor's house. As a result, I lost half of my house, Also my sister lost her son and her youngest daughter. Omar and Mira.

The disaster began when we were in the kitchen preparing lunch. My daughters Naya and Maria were playing with their cousins in the land belonging to our house in which I live on the third floor. My male children were in the house and fortunately, we were in the half of the house that was not completely demolished. Suddenly we saw the window glass breaking and the windows being removed from the wall. We could not understand what was happening after several minutes. Filled with screaming and checking for injuries, I rushed downstairs to check on my daughters. The scene was horrific as if it were the Day of Resurrection. Bodies, body parts, screams, and a lot of blood. They told us that my daughters and nephews were under demolition and filling. We started screaming and begging everyone to take our children out. There were ambulances and the press. I quickly went to the hospital to maybe find my daughters, and thank God I found them. Intact, shocked, and terrified...and my sister lost her two children

We left our house after this bombing, which caused great damage to the building, and we went to stay with my husband’s uncle for two months. Because the war had been prolonged, we restored what we could of the house and returned.

We need many years to overcome this shock. My daughters suddenly wake up screaming and dreaming of that moment when the force of the missile threw them away.

Our faces have turned pale, our bodies have become thin, and we have lost half of our weight due to the sadness, terror, and poverty left by the bloody war.

All I want now is to save what is left of my family. We have lost everything and I fear for all of their lives.

Even though we still have a roof over our heads, the looming threat of death and destruction is nearing us with every passing second. The situation has aggravated as almost 2 million Gazans have been displaced to the South. After a long, hassled search, we barely find accessible food as the generosity of donations rarely reaches those in need; when they do, only a minority has access to a limited amount that is priced beyond reason. We have spent the last cent of our savings to pay for some food and water. My biggest fear is that being without money there will no longer be even crumbs for us.

I can't explain to you how awful are the tank’s bombs and the clashes, they are very close to us, Gaza is a very small place, with nowhere to run.

The donation we'll collect will help us cover the costs of crossing the borders, coordination fees, and transportation, and provide essential cash assistance to cover living expenses in Egypt for a couple of months.

On behalf of my entire family, I extend my deepest gratitude for your compassion, reading, and patience, during this challenging time. Together, you can make a meaningful difference in our lives and provide us with the security and care we so urgently require.

With heartfelt thanks,

Elham