Urgent: Help Samah evacuate her family from Gaza

(450 000 DDK equals approx. 65 000 USD)

Dear kind-hearted souls,

My name is Samah Kassab, writing to you with hope from a place of desperation and despair. I am a mother of two, a daughter aged 16 and a son aged 13, and we've faced the harrowing reality of conflict, having narrowly escaped with our lives from our homeland, Gaza.

Today, I humbly reach out to you to be a beacon of hope for my family of 13, including children and elderly loved ones, who are desperately waiting for a lifeline amid the terrifying violence in Gaza. Their lives are suspended in a frightening limbo with the constant threat of airstrikes and with no place to call home.

The youngest in the family, Samah's 2 years old niece Nay, is like the rest of the family trapped in a tent in Rafah devoid of electricity, clean water, and a secure source of food, April 2024

Our journey has been a tumultuous one, marked by loss and endless displacement. The once familiar streets of northern Gaza are now a memory, replaced by the stark confines of a tent in Rafah, devoid of the most basic human necessities: electricity, clean water, and a secure source of food. With the threat of further attacks, our options have dwindled to none.

Amidst this chaos, my grandmother, well into her nineties and battling health issues, slipped into a coma due to diabetes, exacerbated by the trauma of war and inadequate medical care. And it’s not just her; each member of my family carries the weight of this crisis, especially the five innocent children who face malnutrition and the psychological terror that comes with the sounds of endless explosions.

We seek your help to evacuate them to Egypt, to give them a chance at safety, a moment's peace. Your donation will fund their journey across the border, covering transportation, temporary housing, and basic needs to sustain them through these trying times.

Your generosity transcends monetary value; it is the gift of hope, the chance at life for those whose every moment is shadowed by fear. No contribution is too small when it comes to saving lives and restoring humanity.

With deepest gratitude,

Samah Kassab

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This fundraiser is created and co-coordinated by me, Stephanie Mortensen, a close friend and former colleage of Samah. Originally, Samah and I got to know each other in 2019 when both working for the international organisation ActionAid and have stayed in touch ever since. For technical reasons Samah asked for my help creating this fundraiser.

I wish with all of my heart that Samah and her family can reach safety as quickly as possible and send all of my graditude to everyone who can support financially with even just a little.

The atrocities taking place in Gaza, and which are unfolding before our very eyes, are destroying lives, homes, and dreams. 34.000 people killed. Dead bodies everywhere. Everyone fighting to save their kids, their families. May this genocide end for all. End the occupation.

Stephanie and Samah 2019, Copenhagen