Latest updates
Here you will find the latest updates from Salah from Gaza. Currently, he lives with his family in Deir al Balah, after being displaced from Rafah.
January 19th, 2025
Complete shock. I was to excited to travel back to my place in Rafah. What I found, was so devastating, I can't believe it. My beloved home is completely destroyed. How will I get over the shock?
January 18th, 2025
Hello everyone, today as you know is the last day of this genocide. We experience mixed feelings of sadness and joy, but inside us there is a lot of pain. We lost a lot of things we loved, such as my friends, my uncle who lived with us, and our home that was destroyed. These are in my heart and mind forever.
If I talk about these painful memories, I will never finish writing. We suffered a lot of fear and anxiety for more than a year. We were displaced from our home and did not take anything with us. We left everything there. We will return to our home, which is destroyed. With deep sadness and a future we do not know anything about. This war will remain in my mind as long as I live.
It has grown beyond my age many times. I have seen things that no one can bear. We have endured a lot and survived the bombing several times. My family and I slept in tents for days and came out from under the bombing and the intense fear. They were days with all their details, very painful, and we need years to recover from all of this, but we will not forget.
October, 30th
Salah graduated! He got his Bachelors degree in Information Technology. Amidst the horrors of the genocide he managed to complete his studies. We are all extremely proud of him. For Salah, it is a bittersweet moment. He dreamed of the day he graduated, where he had a ceremony with all of his friends. Unfortunately, there will be no celebrations, no ceremony and Salah will forever miss his friend, Mohammed who got killed last year and supposed to graduate together. We hope to plan a digital celebration with Salah soon. Please show your love and support by leaving a donation or send an e-mail (see footer below).
Octorber, 28th
Salah has been very sick, probably a virus. He was shivering and couldn't hold any food or liquid down. Luckily, thanks to your donations he was able to visit the doctor who provided some medicine. This really helped and Salah has been able to sleep and recover little by little.
September, 26th
"My mother went out to buy some neccessities. She bought shampoo, soap and other things with your donations. Thank you all. My family sends peace to you and wishes you the best."
"I am bored and psychologically tired of this routine. Imagine that you leave your home and your city to a new, unfamiliar place. You have few winter clothes, and you study at a university online, and you sit most of the time doing nothing. You lose people dear to your heart. You do not know where the bombing comes from. You hear the sound of explosions and live in fear and anxiety at all times. You are not safe either. In a house, on a street, or anywhere."
September, 15th
We asked Salah how he keeps his mind so strong. This is what he said:
"There are some people here who have suffered from many psychological illnesses, but I do not focus my thoughts on the situation we are living in. I always go out to the sea to watch funny videos. I try to distract myself with things that benefit me and keep me strong. Patience is from God, and we are certain that this occupation will disappear.."
September, 10th
"I will describe the scene to you today at dawn. A displaced people’s complex of tents was bombed, in which children, women, and families live. The place is very crowded. I know it well. They bombed them with 3 missiles, each weighing 2,000 tons of explosives, on defenseless people. Imagine with me that most of the martyrs found torn pieces and their skins had evaporated, and they did not recognize them and they rose. The missiles buried them 20 meters underground, and sand scattered on them and their skins were wiped out. Nearly 40 martyrs and 100 injuries were reported."
July, 31st
"The world has forgotten everything. Everybody gets accustomed to these events. We are dying here and the countries that supported us before, start to go on with their lives. We feel that. I am so sad. I have become so despairing, I have no longer hope for anything."
​
We worry about Salah. He witnessed horrific scenes last weekend, during the attacks on Deir al-Balah. One air raid hit a school, where thousands of displaced people (among them children and women) were finding shelter. He heard the bombing from close and got really scared. Luckily, he is still alive. But what life is this?
July 8th
At night, the bombings got very close to Salah. The morning after he expressed that he is in a bad psychological state. Inside is a lot of pain he can't express. The same routine every day, nothing new, is taking it's toll.
July, 5th
"My friend and I walked around Deir al-Balah. I go out to sit by the sea to escape the high heat. I have not returned home yet. I have a friend here who lives in a tent. He comes to me and we go together. I'm tired of the same routine today, the same day as the day before. Nothing has changed. The situation is very bad, but we hope that all this will end soon, God willing.
Did you know that there are no refrigerators and washing machines? There is no electricity. For 9 months, I have not watched TV for a long time. We charge the phones and the simple ones separately from the solar energy, but they do not perform as well as the electric generators."
June 20th
"Most of the time I am in the house and do not go out. I went to a place where there is good internet. Now I close to the house. I do not go very far out of fear of bombing. I walk a lot every day to buy food. There is a desalination station that works every day, but it is very crowded in the morning. Today I we ate eggplant, some tomatoes, beans and zucchini. We buy them at very high prices. I thank you all for helping me buy my supplies and my family’s supplies."
June 6th
"We went through very difficult times when we were at my father’s uncle’s house in Rafah. Tanks advanced towards us and we lived through a frightening night. We could not sleep. It was a terrifying day. Then we moved to the Khan Yunis Sea to tents. We could not adapt to the situation because of the temperature, which was approximately 37 degrees. The situation was unbearable with insects, diseases, and bad bathrooms. Then after 4 days, we moved towards Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Strip to the house of a friend of my mother’s. We are now sitting there. The situation here is a little better than in the tents."