Right now, there are thousands of Palestinian Australians who remain deeply worried for their loved ones stuck in Gaza. It's a situation no one ought to have weighing on their shoulders.
Neriman, her sister, and brother-in-law Iyad all live in Victoria. Iyad, who is an Australian of Palestinian heritage, has dozens of family members trapped in Gaza who are desperate to escape.
Neriman says it's been a devastating time for their whole extended family.
"The heart goes in the mouth when you hear about the things they have witnessed and endured. War happens around the world to everyday people. In this instance, it's our family. It's traumatic," she tells Mamamia.
Watch: The last hospitals in Gaza. Post continues below.
In the past 10 months, they have lost 33 members of their extended family.
Fourteen were killed in one night when their building was bombed. One cousin watched her four teenage sons arrested by the Israel Defence Force, and then released without charge after two hours of interrogation. As they walked away from their place of confinement, the eldest son was shot in the back of the head by a sniper and killed.
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