"My son Ahmed asked me never to cry for him and to distribute sweets when he becomes a martyr. He promised me that we will meet again in the highest paradise." With these words, heavy with profound sorrow yet unshaken faith, Alaa Salem, a grieving widow and mother, recounts her story—a testament to the suffering endured by the Palestinian people under relentless aggression.  

**Alaa Salem**, a resident of Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza, faced an unimaginable tragedy on the night of December 13, 2023. She lost her husband and two sons, Ahmed and Mohammed, in a brutal attack. The bodies of her sons still lie buried under the rubble of their destroyed home. This devastating night also claimed the lives of her father, all her brothers, and her brothers-in-law, leaving her family without a single male member to support them.  

That horrific night, Alaa’s home was targeted by an *F-16* airstrike. Although she and her husband initially survived the bombing, the relentless air raids soon struck again. A drone-fired missile directly targeted her husband, killing him in front of her eyes. Moments later, other airstrikes obliterated their neighborhood, taking the lives of her extended family members. Gravely injured, Alaa was left to care for her two daughters, Zahra (5 years old) and Wardah (6 years old), who are now her sole reason to carry on.  

Today, Alaa and her daughters live in dire conditions. They have no shelter other than what remains of the rubble, no water, no electricity, and no means to combat the biting cold and the persistent hunger. Alaa says, "My son Ahmed, with his gentle soul, beautiful hair, and colorful eyes, asked me to distribute sweets when he becomes a martyr. Yet, even sweets I couldn’t find amidst this devastation."  

Despite her unbearable pain, Alaa fights to hold on for the sake of her daughters. She now calls upon people of goodwill to extend a helping hand. She urgently needs support to rebuild her destroyed home and provide a monthly stipend to meet the basic needs of her orphaned daughters, who are struggling to survive against all odds.  

The *Spirit of the Soul Foundation for Relief and Development* has allocated a platform to collect donations for Alaa and her devastated family, whether to support the orphans or to help rebuild their home.  

The story of Alaa Salem stands as a vivid testimony to the plight of Palestinian families left without fathers, brothers, or protectors. It is a heartfelt plea for all compassionate hearts to contribute to alleviating the suffering of this bereaved family, who have been left with nothing but their faith in God and their hope in the kindness of others.  

**"Help Zahra and Wardah—they are the rays of hope that need your light to shine amidst the darkness of war."**