Family in Gaza Palestine Campaign

Sleep was elusive, and thoughts of the next day and how to make ends meet were always on our minds. But after the war, sleep became an unsafe refuge, and thoughts revolved around whether we would survive to see the next day or perish like hundreds of our friends who were exterminated. We sleep and wake up, waiting for our turn in the endless waterfall of blood.

When the war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, my relatives and uncles took refuge in our house, thinking that it was the safe house, and after 5 days of their displacement to us, the occupation carried out a brutal and violent bombardment on the neighborhood next to us. On the morning of Friday, October 13, 2023, the Zionist occupation called my older brother, asking him to flee and evacuate all... The buildings of the entire neighborhood and heading to the south of the Strip. It was very suspicious and scary and we did not know where we could take refuge. We were forced to evacuate. I had to flee with my family to a safe area, leaving behind my neighborhood, my home, my shops, my work, my memories, and literally everything. We took refuge with our relatives in Al-Maghazi camp, and 12 days after our displacement on October 25, 2023, the occupation bombed the bakery opposite the house in which we were displaced, and I was injured in my foot. On the left side and an injury, my brother suffered minor burns to her face, and the house became partially destroyed, but it is the only shelter we have, so we restored what we could to live in the house as much as possible. On November 4, 2024, warplanes targeted the bakery after it had been destroyed again. Thank God, none of us were injured, and here nothing was done. We were able to restore, but we cleaned and sat because there was no other place, and on the morning of Wednesday, January 3,2024, the occupation made a sudden ground entry into Al-Maghazi camp, and here we were besieged and we could not leave the house. There was no water, food, or any other necessities of life. We just sat and heard the sounds of bombing, bullets, and shells, and waited. When will our turn come? On Sunday morning, January 7, 2024, we were able to miraculously leave Al-Maghazi under bombardment and took refuge in Rafah. There I do not have anyone or relatives, but fortunately I met a friend and he arranged for me a room temporarily for my family to sit in until I built a tent, but I did not have enough money to build a tent, which costs 2500 shekels, or approximately 600-700 dollars, so I was unable to build it and stayed. Sitting at a friend's house in a room. The worst thing was the winter, and the extreme cold at night, as we left our homes in the summer and winter came upon us while we were displaced and did not have winter clothes.

I cannot describe the situation adequately; I think you've seen enough online. I lost my home, my shops, and my family’s source of income, and I was left with nothing. I have lost many friends over the past four months. However, I feel nothing but complete helplessness and inability to help my family. The feeling of helplessness is humiliating and painful, as negative thoughts dominate your thoughts, such as thinking about suicide or wishing for death to escape this feeling. But here I am breathing again and thinking of positive solutions in the face of crushing death. I'm trying to cling to life.

Your donations will help me and my family leave Gaza. We need to pay at least US$35.000 to exit Gaza via Egypt. The rest will be used to apply for visas and airline tickets. Every donation makes a difference.

Your friend

Ghazi Mekawi