My name is Fares, and I am 23 years old. Please listen to my story.

I want to leave Gaza with my family. My family and I were in our home here in Gaza, on the first floor of a three-story building, when the third floor was bombed. We were all in one room, except for my brother who had gone to the bathroom. When he returned, bombardment and rubble fell on him, and he was martyred. We could not help him with anything.

We remained trapped in our place, unable to do anything. We were crying, we were suffocated, we were distressed by the stench of the bombing. We remained like this without any help for about 10 hours.

We wished then to be martyred with my brother, but when rescue did come we were unable to resist.

My mother’s name is Jehan, she is 40 years old.

My father, Raed, is 42 years old.

I have a sister named Isel, who is 12 years old, and another sister named Hadeel, who is 20 years old. My brother Mahmoud is 10 years old.

We need to get out of Gaza because we were displaced from Gaza City to Rafah and from Rafah to Deir al-Balah. We are very tired.

I have dreams, but I cannot get them. Dreams are shattered here.

Please, stand with me.

Note from the organizer:

My name is Daniel Merrill, and I am organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Fares Raed Abed (you can find his account on Instagram here). I am 34 years old, and I live in the United States, in Oregon.

This is the second fundraiser that I am organizing for my friend, Fares. He first reached out asking for help raising funds to supply food and water to the children and displaced people in his camp in Deir al-Balah.

These efforts are ongoing, and Fares has asked that we also begin raising funds to take care of his family so that they will have the means to evacuate Gaza when the opportunity comes. While awaiting evacuation, these funds may be used for the family's future living expenses including food and treatment in the case of injuries.

The desperate situation in Gaza is, of course, constantly changing and presenting new difficulties. When the Rafah crossing had been open, the cost to evacuate to Egypt was $5,000 per person. This crossing has since been closed, and has recently suffered severe damage. We are holding on to hope that a way will open, and when such an opportunity does arrive, there may not be time then for the lengthy and challenging process of fundraising.

Thus far I have been transferring money raised on this platform to Fares via PayPal. I am sending funds to his friend Muhannad Talat, who is 25, who then passes this money to Fares. This is how we will transfer money for this campaign as well. If changing circumstances necessitate that we use different means to transfer funds, I will update this fundraiser providing full details.

Thank you very much for your compassion and support. Every donation helps and builds momentum, and sharing this campaign grows our reach. We are deeply grateful for any and all help you are willing to offer.