TESTIMONY · WHERE THE BRIDGE BEGAN
In Gaza, Yaser Al Rayyes looked out to sea and imagined a passage to safety. His testimony gave words, an image and a direction to a mobilisation that became a non-profit association.
Testimony by Yaser Al Rayyes · English version · 3 min 08 s.
Content warning: this testimony refers to war, destruction and family separation. Some images may be distressing.
“I could only dream that there was a bridge over this sea.”
In these words, Yaser was not describing a structure. He was expressing the need for a passage between confinement and safety, between powerlessness and action.
A testimony from Gaza
Yaser Al Rayyes lived through the war in Gaza, repeated attempts to reach the Rafah border crossing and the wait for help that never came. In the clip, his own footage documents the destruction, the displacement, daily life under threat and his separation from his family.
Near the border area between Gaza and Egypt, facing the sea, he wondered whether he could swim to a place of safety. But leaving alone would have meant leaving his family behind; attempting the crossing with them would have meant risking their lives. From that impossible choice came the image of a bridge.
Yaser Al Rayyes near the border area between Gaza and Egypt. © Émilie Tinard – Jérôme Tinard.
“Are we so unimportant in the eyes of the world? Has the world truly abandoned us in Gaza?”
The words that accompanied the clip
The text below is the message Yaser shared with the video when it was released. It is given here in English, keeping as close as possible to his original wording. Since then, the family’s journey has reached decisive milestones, recounted in particular in the article on their reunion in Cairo on 17 June 2026.
This video contains part of what I lived through in Gaza during the war, a war I will never forget and that will stay engraved in my memory for the rest of my life. I wish I could erase these memories, but there I lived through the hardest days of my life.
I clearly remember my repeated attempts to reach the Rafah border crossing with my family, searching for a way to survive and to leave Gaza. I stood near the Egyptian border, waiting in silence, hoping that someone would finally come to help us. But the answer was always the same: “We hope the war will end for you.” No one could really help us… except when money had to be paid.
So one question kept haunting me: are we so unimportant in the eyes of the world? Has the world truly abandoned us in Gaza? What broke me most was understanding that saving a life can sometimes depend on money… and that only then does the world begin to look.
This video also shows me sitting near the dangerous area between Gaza and Egypt, on the beach that separates them. I looked at the sea, wondering how I could swim across it to reach Egypt, a place of safety. But I was not alone… I was with my family, and even thinking about it meant the fear of losing them at sea.
I could only dream that there was a bridge over this sea, a bridge that would carry us from death, fear and destruction towards a life of safety. But today, we are building my dream, the dream of a bridge over the sea, which will soon save my family, very soon, along with the children of my people in Palestine. Support us, support the organisation. Become a member, and make a donation. Together, we are getting there.
Audio version of the testimony
The full audio track is available to listen to and to download in MP3 format.
From a dream to a capacity for action
Human Sea Bridge (Pont de Mer Humanitaire in French) grew out of the meeting between this lived experience, the mobilisation around the Al Rayyes family and a collective refusal to look away. The “bridge” became a method: documenting a situation, connecting medical, humanitarian and institutional actors, maintaining follow-up and turning an individual emergency into a workable pathway.
Formally establishing the association gave this commitment a lasting framework, governance and accountability. Its history remains inseparable from Yaser and his family, but its mission goes beyond them: it aims to facilitate access to care and education for people whose ordinary routes have been closed by war. Discover the story of Human Sea Bridge.
Making a situation understandable. Gathering the medical, administrative and human information needed.
Creating an operational passage. Coordinating the relevant actors without taking their place.
Supporting the next step. Mobilising the resources needed until a practical solution is reached.
Find the clip on Instagram
The video remains available at the top of this article, with no Instagram account required. Its publication on social media also makes it possible to share the testimony, follow the organisation’s work and broaden the mobilisation.
View the original post · Follow @pontdemerhumanitaire.
HELP BUILD THE PASSAGE
Becoming a member, supporting our work or sharing our actions helps turn one-off solidarity into a lasting capacity for action.
Video and sound design: © Émilie Tinard – Jérôme Tinard. All rights reserved. Any reproduction or reuse requires prior permission.
