Trapped Family in Gaza Appeals for Help to Survive

Dear world,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Laila. I am 24 years old, married, and a mother of a one-and-a-half-year-old girl named Sally. I am waiting for my second child, Omar, who is due to be born in a few months. I left my house on October 8 and have not returned to it yet. More than a year has passed, and I do not know anything about it because it is located in an eastern area that was seized by the occupation. I know that my husband's family's house was destroyed, and I do not think that my house is still okay because it is located next to their house. We have been displaced more than 10 times, and every time I wished it was the last because the difficulty of what we see in displacement cannot be described. I graduated from the Faculty of Accounting in English from the Islamic University with high grades, and after that, I worked in a private accounting office. When the war began on October 7, I lost my job and now I have no source of income and no home. I have experienced death several times, but I do not know how to escape it every time. The last one was the hardest, as my family's house was bombed while we were inside it. I was next to my cousin who was martyred in this bombing shortly before the bombing. I took my daughter Sally to sleep in another room, and the bombing happened. We survived miraculously. My daughter, my husband, and my mother were completely under the rubble. My heart broke when I saw her in this state. I thank God that she is still alive, but unfortunately, we lost my cousin's daughter, Maria, who was dear to our hearts.

And now my family is homeless as well, and we are all displaced and crowded in my grandmother's house.

I had many dreams and ambitions that my husband and I are determined to achieve, but now all we dream of is protecting our children, providing them with a safe environment, and providing them with the needs that any child living in this world needs.

After more than a year of this war and genocide, and after the circumstances became more difficult and we were unable to provide the simplest needs due to the high prices, I was forced to run this campaign on the GoFundMe website. I pray to God that it will be a path of goodness and provision for me and my family.

We lost security, which is the most important human right! Which we were deprived of for a whole year (365 full days!) and here the days are increasing and no one is stopping this genocide that we are living!

Now I am scared and exhausted from the number of displacements we have suffered every time! Also tired of seeing my daughter Sally putting her hands on her ears every time she hears the sound of bombing and crying from the horror of what we hear! I pray none of you will ever experience something like this.

My health and psychological condition have deteriorated, and I am also pregnant. I am worried about how my child will come to this cruel world, but it is God's will on this earth, so praise be to God for everything!

In this difficult time, the past 13 months of displacement and famine have exacerbated our suffering and unbelievable difficulties. We have used all the sad words to describe the situation we have reached, but these words were not enough. The scale of the tragedy and suffering is much greater than what you may have seen on social media.

This is a photo of our life between the past and the present!

Where it was full of beautiful moments, wonderful trips, and delicious food, but now everything around us is destruction, fear, displacement, migration, bad memories, and exorbitant prices, we are unable to confront it.

Your donation, no matter how small, can make a big difference in our lives. We are in dire need of your support and solidarity during these difficult times. Your donation can restore some hope and give my children a chance to live a better life.

Thank you for your consideration.

With hope,

Laila