Help Ahmad's Family Rebuild Amidst The War In Gaza

My name is Malik Wahidy and I am organizing this fundraiser on behalf of my uncle, Ahmad Wahidy and his family. This is his message to you:

After Israel declared war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army intensified its raids and bombing by air, land and sea. The bombing and scenes of destruction, killing and body parts have not stopped to this day.

13/10/2023 The IDF ordered all residents of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip to move south, considering it a safe area according to their claims, but the bombing was everywhere, north and south. That day we were forced to leave our house. The moment I left it was harsh. I kissed its walls and prayed to return to it quickly. I stood at the door of my house, where I was reminded of our beautiful memories and the voice of my children and their laughter. I shed tears and quickly left the house, trying to escape the heavy bombardment.

For 10 months, we could not return to our house because it was in the area separating northern and southern Gaza, which the army considered a closed military zone, as it blew up and destroyed all the buildings there. When we left the house, we could not carry anything except some light clothes and official papers, and my children each took their favorite toy. The beginning of the exodus. We headed to the city of Al-Zahra, located in the middle of the Gaza Strip. Night came, specifically at nine in the evening, we heard the sounds of screaming in the street, and people running from everywhere, and the army ordered the immediate evacuation of the city. That city was crowded with residents and displaced people. We all descended into complete darkness. We could barely see our way. The army began firing flares, then followed by bombardment. That city was crowded with residents and displaced people. We all descended into complete darkness and could barely see our way. The army began firing lighting bombs, then bombed and blew up all the city’s towers, which consisted of 34 residential towers and many houses.

The city was completely destroyed before our eyes, frightening and terrifying scenes that we will never forget and will remain stuck in our minds. The sounds of explosions penetrate our ears to the point that we have suffered hearing loss as a result. Shrapnel from the bombing and flying stones fell on our heads. My husband put his hands on my eldest daughter’s head to protect her. As for me, I placed my 4-month-old baby in my lap, and I placed a light bag over my son’s head to protect him from stones and splinters. At this moment, I wished I could open my heart and hide them inside to make them safe.

After that, the army asked us to move to another area. We got up and tried to escape from the place. Suddenly, I did not find my son (Malik). We couldn't see anything because there was no lighting. The street was also crowded with people fleeing the bombing. After moments of terror and fear of losing my child, I recognized him by his doll (Spider-Man) that he was carrying in his hands, as it was his favorite doll. I hugged him and held his hand tightly for fear of losing him again until we left this terrifying place. We later took shelter in an UNRWA school, where schools opened their doors to receive the displaced.

The schools housed thousands of displaced people from their homes. It was not safe to live in the school, as many buildings adjacent to the school were bombed, resulting in deaths and injuries among children, women, and men. Days passed as we moved from one place to another in search of safety, moving from a house to a shelter center to a tent It does not protect against the cold of winter or the heat of summer. We had nothing to put on the floor except a light piece of cloth that I put under my children so they could sleep on it, and I put some of their clothes under their heads so they wouldn't hurt them. In the harsh winter, we did not have enough blankets or clothes to keep warm because we did not expect winter to come to us like this.

My children were shivering from the cold. Clothes are not available due to the bombing of the markets, the siege imposed on Gaza, we find food with difficulty. Vegetables, if available, are very expensive. Flour was banned from entering Gaza. They are fighting us with hunger. My children suffered from malnutrition and frequent colds. Their features changed and their faces turned pale. They also suffered from gastrointestinal disease as a result of drinking contaminated water, as there is no alternative to it. Respiratory system infections are the result of inhaling air polluted by the smoke of the fire that we used to kindle from wood, nylon, and old book papers so that we could prepare for them as much food as we could to satisfy their hunger.

Seeing them like this hurt my heart. I was powerless to do anything because the circumstances were stronger than me, but I pretended to be strong for their sake. The war has greatly affected them. Sadness and fear do not leave them. Their interests have changed. My 10-year-old daughter, Aseel, has a talent for drawing. She draws flowers and beautiful scenery. She now draws bombing scenes. And draw our destroyed house. My 7-year-old son (Malik) has become interested in designing airplanes and imitating their sounds as they are bombed and imitating the sounds of explosions. Or they draw a house and tell me that this is our house that we will rebuild after the war ends. Aseel and Malik should have been in school by now and doing their homework.

But we did not expect this to happen, as their schools were completely destroyed, and returning to school is not possible for a long time. As for my little girl (Jannat), the war started when she was 4 months old. She is now 11 months old. She took her first steps outside her home, which she did not have time to grow up in or have any memories of. Her clothes remained hanging in her closet. I always imagined how beautiful she would look when she wore them when she grew up. She didn't have the first birthday I had planned. She was deprived of her clothes and her right to obtain healthy food to help her build her small body. Even breastfeeding was not enough for her because her mother's diet was not healthy at all and lacked all the important nutrients for her. She also suffered from a severe viral infection and a high temperature due to the accumulation of garbage and waste near the tents and roads. It affected her for days, and I was only able to treat her in a small health center with a few doctors and no medications except a few. It has been 10 months since we left our home.

Our house that we newly prepared to be our residence in which we can enjoy security, stability and comfort I remember my children’s joy when we prepared their own room for them, which included their toys, school books, and stationery. They were happy about the start of their new school year, which was soon ended by this crazy war.

I still remember the sound of their laughter throughout the house and their toys scattered everywhere. They always tell me how much we miss our mother's delicious food and the sweets she used to make for us. They still remember their joy when I celebrated their birthday and brought them gifts or rewarded them when they got excellent grades. My children were living a beautiful life. We provided them with clean clothes, delicious food, and clean water.

Now they have lost everything and we are trying to compensate them as much as possible. I promised to build a house and prepare a bedroom for them as they like, and make up for everything they lost in their lives. So I need all of your support and help to secure our lives, the lives of my children, and our survival from this damned war. We need you more than ever.