Let's draw a smile together

On the 7th of October, it was a tragic day when the occupation forces asked us to evacuate our house in Beit Hanoun, the northernmost part of the Gaza Strip. We had no choice but to flee, running on foot toward the city of Beit Lahia. We spent a day in a shelter, then had to flee again. It was the beginning of a journey of suffering, a journey of continuous displacement, a journey with no end in sight.

I am Ahmed Al-Kafarna, 20 years old, a student at Al-Azhar University, studying journalism and media.

I never imagined I would stand before you to save people from this ongoing horror and genocide. Words cannot describe the suffering we experience daily. We live in shelters, in canvas tents, without shelter or safety.

We have been displaced more than 20 times in 550 days. Each time brought a new story of suffering, and each time added to our wounds. We saw dismembered bodies, we fled death, and we faced the brutality of the occupation in every sense of the word. I can't describe how we searched for food during times of extreme hunger. I would look for animal feed and tree leaves to feed my younger siblings. Our lives were full of never-ending challenges.

• One of the biggest shocks I experienced was receiving pictures of my beautiful home that was destroyed after the occupation
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The occupation forces targeted the area with tear gas, and a thick cloud of smoke covered the sky. I tried to protect my family. My younger brother, who was only two days old, was exposed to the toxic air and could not breathe due to the pollution. In front of my eyes, I lost my brother.
The hardest thing we went through was the feeling of helplessness in front of the children who were crying from hunger. I would insist on giving them water during those days when we couldn't find food. There was nothing to ease our suffering except the faint hope that this terror would pass. I longed to live in a safe house, to see safety, to be able to protect my family from the death that chases us every day.