Nedal & Lena, Newlyweds
Nedal (17) & Lena (17)
Nedal is Jihad’s brother. He and Lena are newlyweds, and in the middle of a genocide, they are trying to do something incredibly ordinary: start a life together.
I have known Nedal for a long time now, and somewhere along the way our relationship became much more than someone I was simply helping. He calls me Mom. I love him like a son.
So watching him try to begin his married life under these conditions is incredibly hard.
For months, Nedal worked on fixing up a bombed-out shelter so he could move out of the family tent and have a place to live with Lena. He fixed it little by little, with whatever he could find and afford, until they finally had somewhere of their own.
But they live very close to the yellow line, and it is extremely dangerous. They fall asleep to the sound of missiles falling nearby. This is the place they are trying to call home.
Recently, Nedal had to sell his phone just to cover basic living expenses. That says almost everything about where things are right now. A phone in Gaza is how you stay connected to family, receive information about danger, access money and ask for help. He gave his up because they needed the money to live. I wait many days to hear from him from family member phones.
They are newlyweds. They should be making plans for what comes next. Instead, they are worrying about food and water and whether the place they fall asleep in will be still standing by morning.
I am raising money to help Nedal and Lena cover their basic expenses — food, water, household needs, a replacement phone, and eventual evacuation costs.
What would help them most is monthly support. Even $10, $25 or $50 a month gives me something concrete I can tell Nedal he can count on. It means he does not have to wait until things are desperate before asking for help.
I love this young man deeply. I want what any mother would want for him: for him and Lena to have the chance to live, to feel safe, and to actually begin the life they have only just started.
If you are able, please help me support them.
Emily
