Help Rebuild My Family’s Future in Gaza

My name is Mustafa Ahmad, I am 28 years old, and I am from northern Gaza. I grew up in a simple family, and since I was a child, my dream was to live a life filled with stability and success. I graduated in 2021 from Gaza University with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, and I had big ambitions in the job market. After graduation, I decided to work alongside my father in the shoe store we had established years ago. This store was our only source of income and helped us survive the difficult economic conditions in Gaza.

In 2023, I decided to take a big step in my life. I dreamed of starting my life with my fiancée, who was my dream and ambition. I got engaged in August 2023, and I was looking forward to living with her in a small house we had built with our own hard work. This house was for me a new beginning for a life full of peace and stability. I began building the house that same year, and things were going well. The walls were nearly complete, and I was beginning to prepare the furniture in anticipation of marrying her in November 2023.

But on October 7, 2023, something I did not expect happened. The war that broke out in Gaza turned everything into chaos. The Israeli forces started bombing northern Gaza intensely, and orders were issued to evacuate the area. We didn’t have time to take more than a few essential belongings, and we left behind the house we had started building, along with all the dreams we had been waiting to realize.

I fled with my family from northern Gaza toward the south to Khan Yunis, but during those difficult moments, my fiancée was still in the north. My heart was filled with worry and fear for her while I was far from her, at a time when I couldn’t help or protect her. I was hearing scattered news about the situation in the north, and every time the bombing intensified there, I felt helpless, unable to do anything except wait and pray for her safety.

A short time after we arrived in Khan Yunis, new orders were issued to evacuate the area due to the escalating bombing. We had no choice but to move again, so we relocated to Rafah in search of safety in a more distant area. But my worry for my fiancée didn’t stop; I was still far from her, and I lived in constant anxiety that something might happen to her in these tragic circumstances.

In Rafah, we found ourselves in a small tent amidst harsh conditions, with winds and rains battering us in the winter, and we had insufficient food and water. We were living in a daily struggle for survival. I lived in these difficult conditions, but my heart was always concerned for my fiancée in the north, hoping she would survive and get out of danger.

As for our house that I had started building, it was completely destroyed. My dream was to live in it with my fiancée in safety and stability, but now it was nothing but rubble. Nothing remained of our dreams except the debris. Even the store, which was our only source of livelihood, was also destroyed. The store was the place that supported us and provided for our daily needs, but it turned into mere ruins.

Today, I live with my family in a tent, and I cannot see an end to this suffering. But despite all this pain, I cannot lose hope. My dream now is to rebuild our house and live in it with my family in peace, away from the bombing and destruction. I want to rebuild my life from scratch and restore the dignity we lost.

The losses we have faced due to the war include:

1. Rebuilding my house: The house I had started building was destroyed, and my dream was to live in it with my fiancée. The cost of rebuilding the house is estimated at about $20,000.

2. Rebuilding my father’s store: The store we had established with my father, which was our only source of income, was destroyed. The cost of rebuilding the store is estimated at about $10,000.

Total: $30,000.

Dear friend,

We lost the house we had started building with love and effort, and we also lost the store, which was our only source of income. Everything was destroyed in moments, and our dream of building a new life away from crises is now just a memory. But despite all of this, the hope to restore our life is still alive.

When the war ends, we will have the opportunity to return to the north, where our house was being built and where the store we worked in with my father was located. This will be our chance to rebuild our house, which symbolized safety, and to reopen the store that supported us in life. With your generous support, we will be able to rebuild everything we lost, and we will revive hope in our hearts.

Your donation today will not just be a material help; it will be the beginning of a new life full of stability and dignity. You will be a partner in this journey, helping us restore what the war destroyed.