Urgent: Help Suad and Her Newborn Escape Gaza’s Danger

A Tale of Strength and Determination: Suad Fights for a Better Life for Her Child in Times of War

Hello to all my friends around the world,

My days with my husband used to be filled with security and stability as we planned our future together. My name is Suad, a young Palestinian woman from Gaza, a driven engineer who graduated from the College of Engineering in 2021. Throughout my years of study, I worked diligently and passionately to explore the world of engineering and technology as much as possible. I volunteered in many technology companies and participated in numerous technical competitions, which led me to achieve the second position in my batch, earning me a one-year contract as a teaching assistant at my university immediately after graduation. I then worked as a university lecturer, teaching over 300 students. Soon after, my professional career escalated rapidly, landing a job as a Software Quality Assurance Team Lead in a private technology company.

I vividly remember my joy when I was selected to win the "Outstanding Employee" award in early September.

My office building where I spent most of the last year of my life, was in rubble.

However, on October 3rd, the doctor informed me that a piece of my soul was forming in the shape of a fetus inside me and that I was in my first month of pregnancy.

I stand amidst the ruins of my once vibrant home, now reduced to rubble and ash.

We began preparing for a new life experience, my husband and I, and the earth could not contain our joy. Unfortunately, my envisioned future was cut short on October 7th, just one week later. Our joy quickly turned to distress, and our security to fear as we were forced to evacuate our home, where my husband and I lived. I remember that night vividly as we left our house amidst endless explosions threatening our lives and the lives of my unborn child. We evacuated our home five times now, unable to find a safe place to take shelter.

During one of our displacements, we narrowly escaped a bombing attempt near us. We emerged from under the rubble after a nearby land was targeted. We fled from the scattered shelling, facing tanks that threatened our residential area. My life and the life of my unborn child were in danger as we escaped. I suffered from choking and bruises after fleeing the tank siege that threatened our residential area.

This is the land near our place of residence was subjected to devastating artillery shelling

During the winter, we spent many days in the open before finding a tent to shelter us (in Rafah), barely fitting my husband, me, and his family. We suffered from the rain striking the tent and the cold dominating our bodies until I contracted severe gastroenteritis and severe stomach pains due to the lack of food, water, and contamination.

We live in constant fear and terror every day, enduring indescribable suffering. I couldn't give my fetus the care and nourishment it deserved. I couldn't take vitamins or receive regular medical care to ensure my fetus's health.

We couldn't do the things that seem simple and easy in the normal life of anyone else, like carrying water in buckets for use. We could only bathe once a week, and gas for cooking was unavailable, replaced by firewood that negatively affected my breathing and eyes due to the smoke rising from it.

This is our tent that transformed into our haven in Rafah

All of this, and we still haven't surrendered. There was a threat of entering Rafah, so we had to evacuate again to Deir al-Balah in another tent, and the same suffering was repeated.

This is our tent that transformed into our haven in Deir al-Balah

Currently, the situation has become very dangerous to the point where prices have increased tenfold, and food has become rare and extremely expensive to the point where drinking water is barely available. I hear horrifying stories every day from friends who have been injured or killed viciously.

So I appeal to you for help. I am about to enter my ninth month of pregnancy, almost on the verge of welcoming my little child. I need your financial support to cover the costs of travel and living expenses after crossing the Egyptian border, including renting an apartment for my family for a few months until we settle properly.

This is where I turn to you, my friends, and my network of friends across the globe to give me and my family a glimmer of hope for the future, I hope to find a a safer place to welcome my child and continue my professional career.

Regardless of the amount you can assist with, your donation could save our lives and the lives of my unborn child who has yet to see the light. Starting this campaign was a difficult decision for me because I always thought that others needed more help. Also, I never thought about leaving my homeland and might not see it again! But as each day passes, things worsen here, and I realize that there is no place for my child in such a dangerous environment that we have been living in for over seven months.

A photo of my husband, his sister, and his mother

We are here in Gaza, and for more than 200 days, we have not seen the light. We hope to find the minimum necessities of life that keep us alive under this continuous bombardment. Given the circumstances imposed by the occupation and the siege and the lack of resources, we have faced unimaginable pain and challenges. The only way to survive is to leave Gaza for a safe place, but leaving is not an easy matter; it requires paying huge amounts to the border authorities.