Mohammed and his family live in southern Gaza. During the 50-day war, their lives changed forever.
Mohammed was born and raised in an agricultural family. He used to be a farmer, working his father’s land. These were the best days of his life, when his life was all about family and farming.
Lives changed forever
In the second Palestinian uprising, Mohammad lost his job and had to move to find work to support his family. Through hard and continuous work, he was able to buy his own house and invite his parents to live with him and his family.
His parents moved in a week before the start of the 50-day war. This week, with his wife, children and parents, was filled with love and happiness.
Happiness shattered
Their happiness was shattered during Ramadan, when the whole family was gathered for an evening meal.
A missile hit the house. In one evening, Mohammed lost his wife, father, brother and sister. He now looks after his two young sons by himself.
100,000 homes damaged beyond repair
Mohammad’s home was one of the estimated 100,000 that were destroyed or damaged beyond repair during the war. Thousands of families fled Gaza’s main cities to the relative safety of the rural areas, triggering the need for emergency shelter.
Life after the war continued to be unbearable. Still, the harder it gets, the stronger I become and the more determined I am to live a decent life with my children, I pray for God to have mercy on all the beloved ones I have lost and give me power to stay strong to create a bright future for my children.
Children without a mother
Mohammed was worried about his children, who kept asking where their mother was. After some time had passed, he decided get remarried to a woman who had also lost family in the war.
New phase of the family’s life
We were able to help Mohammed start rebuilding his life by providing him with a ShelterBox, which arrived on the day of his wedding.
The box, which contained a sturdy family-sized tent and other essentials like blankets, cooking utensils and solar lights, enabled him to start a new phase of his life. He was able to live in the tent with his wife and children on the land where his destroyed house stands.
This tent enabled me to stay on my own land, where with all determination I will try to rebuild my home that was destroyed. I will stay determined because this is our land and we have the right to exist.