Help Mahmoud's Family Survive and Rebuild

Hello, my name is Mahmoud Basem Al-Kafarna, a 20-year-old from Gaza Strip.

I never imagined that I would ask for help to save myself and my family from this horror, but this is my last chance!

Nothing can describe what we experience every day. We live in shelters, in a tent made of fabric.

After two months of the war, we were told to evacuate. My house was bombed, and I tried to take my computer, which I considered my gateway to the future, but it was crushed under the rubble, and I couldn’t save it. I couldn’t even take my winter clothes due to the continuous shelling around us, as each of us was just thinking of surviving!

We are two families. The first family consists of five members: my father, my mother, and my brothers. The first is Mohamed, who is married, and the second is me. I also have a sister named Ibtisam, who is also married, and her husband is a prisoner in the occupation’s prisons. We have taken her into our tent.

Ibtisam’s family consists of six members: Islam, who is 13 years old, Aseel, who is 12, Mutasim, who is 10, Elin, who is 4, and Tasnim, who is 6 months old.

I don’t know where to start, but I’ll begin with my niece Tasnim's story because it matters to me more than myself, and her inner voice says:

“My name is Tasnim!

While I was a three-month-old fetus in my mother’s womb, feeling joyful as my father’s hands touched my mother’s belly, cherishing it with tenderness, the war on Gaza began. The occupation demolished our home, arrested my father, and displaced my mother and siblings.

At that time, my father didn’t know whether I was a boy or a girl. I was born after six months, having suffered from malnutrition and fatigue, which was caused by the anxiety my mother felt after my father’s arrest.

I was born in a tent instead of a hospital, under the sounds of bombs and airstrikes. I took my first breath and entered this world without seeing my father to celebrate my birth.

No one called the call to prayer in my tiny ears, and the only touch I felt was my mother’s, with tears not leaving her cheeks. Even my right to proper clothing was denied.

Oh, how the embrace of my father would have compensated for all the warmth of the world's clothes. I grew up without shelter, lacking milk and diapers, wishing my dad could bring them for me.

Now, here I am, crawling and soon will take my first steps without holding onto my father's fingers, and saying the word ‘Dad’ in this freezing winter without shelter.

The question remains:

Will my father know of my existence and identity while he is imprisoned by the occupation, or will I remain a stranger in his thoughts and memory? How long will I live without seeing him?”

I share this message after a year of war and contemplation, driven by a sense of despair, as I now believe that this is our only means of survival. The burden of protecting my family weighs heavily on me.

Gaza was our home, amid moments of joy and struggle, but now it’s a matter of life and death.

We stayed in the north for a while, but the situation became unbearable. We left the north and evacuated more than four times under the threat of airstrikes and death.

Now, I suffer from hunger, fear, and psychological pressure, and I keep asking myself:

Will the war end as the seven wars I have gone through did? Will the life we dream of at home return?

But the occupation destroyed our house

Tasnim, the little one born during the war, now six months old, needs milk and diapers, but unfortunately, we cannot meet her needs due to the scarcity of basic necessities and high prices.

Elin suffers from malnutrition and is eating nutritional supplements.

We urgently ask for your help to provide food, medicine, and the necessities of life for my parents, my sister, and the rest of the family.

My dream is to complete my university studies and keep my family safe.

I am committed to completing my university education while prioritizing my family’s safety and well-being. It is important for me to pursue my educational goals, but I also recognize the importance of keeping my loved ones safe during these difficult times. I will take all necessary precautions and make responsible decisions to effectively balance these priorities.

Despite all this, I haven’t lost hope. I am using the "GoFundMe" platform to raise donations to provide food, medicine, milk, and diapers for Tasnim, as well as clothes and supplies to rebuild my future and achieve my dream in design. My dream isn’t dead, but I need someone to help me bring it to life.