Yousef Al-Aokor, 20, "We have dreams, feelings, and the right to live in safety and dignity. We are not just numbers or news headlines."
Yousef Al-Aokor, 20, has been very generous with the images and words he has shared with me about what life is like for him and his family in his hometown of Gaza, Palestine.
When I asked about the photo of a hand holding a bullet in front of someone’s bandaged leg, he told me that, “While we were sleeping at night, a quadcopter drone opened fire randomly on our tents. My little brother, Mohammed, was injured—he was shot in his foot.
“It happened about a year ago. Thankfully, the bullet struck the flesh and not the bone. He has healed now, but he still feels a slight pain from time to time.”
Yousef then shared a photo of Mohammed, who clearly enjoys an active life, like any number of other young people around the world.
“This little child has become a target for the Zionists,” Yousef told me.
With the unpredictability of his living situation, Yousef and I correspond with surprising regularity.
When lapses occur, he will reply with apologies that are wholly unnecessary, but underline the conditions in which his life is set:
“I’m sorry for the delay in my reply,” Yousef told me before he sent answers to my questions that follow. “It was due to an internet outage in our camp, caused by strong winds that uprooted the internet poles.”
According to his Chuffed fundraiser page, Yousef is currently “studying business administration, I never imagined in the twenty years of my life that I would ask for help just to stay alive.”
On what life is like for him and his family now, he said, “We once lived in a small house full of love and memories, but soon the war came and this house was robbed of us and destroyed.
“We are now living in a narrow canvas tent that does not provide any protection from cold and bombing. Life is more difficult than you imagine in this place.
"My sister Rola lost her childhood, she wakes up every morning to the sound of bombs and whispers “Do we have food today?
“Every day I walk long distances just to bring water…. We live with fear, hunger, cold and sadness, but we did not give up hope.”
Where are you located now, and how long have you been there?
Right now, I am living in very difficult conditions after our home was completely destroyed. We have been displaced for some time, moving from place to place, and currently we are staying in a small, fragile tent that barely protects us from the weather.
Who are you living with?
I am living with my family—there are eight of us.
What was life like for you before you and your family moved?
Before all of this, our life was simple but stable. We had a home, a routine, and dreams for the future. Everything changed suddenly, and now our daily life is about survival.
How are you able to get online?
Getting online is not easy. The internet is very unstable, and sometimes completely cut off, especially due to weather or damage to infrastructure. I try whenever I can, just to stay connected and share our story.
What do you want people in the United States to know about you and your family?
What I want people in the United States to know is that we are human beings just like anyone else. We have dreams, feelings, and the right to live in safety and dignity. We are not just numbers or news headlines.
If money was not a factor, what would you be doing right now?
If money was not a factor, I would focus on continuing my education and building a better future for myself and my family. I would want to study, grow, and help rebuild what has been lost.
Throughout our correspondence, Yousef’s positivity is remarkable, and the messages that follow from his Chuffed page and our online conversations are a small sample of the optimism and gratitude he puts forward in everything I have seen him do.
“Life here is very difficult, but knowing that there are people like you who care gives us strength and hope.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this and sharing my story with such care and respect. Your words truly touched me and mean more than I can express. In the middle of everything we are going through, your support and kindness give us real strength and hope. I will never forget this.”
