Dear friends and everyone,

My name is Bianca Heuser from Berlin and I'm starting this fundraiser on behalf of my friend Ghaleb Eyad and his family in Gaza.

Ghaleb and I have become friends after meeting online. Hearing of and seeing the hardship this wonderful person and his family face every day inspired me to share his story and start this campaign.

(The faces of three of his sisters are covered in the picture due to their understandable discomfort in asking for support from others: something the Eyad family has never done before.)

Ghaleb is 23 and the eldest of his parents' 8 children. He had been working hard to support his family since he left school since his father is unable to work due to being diabetic. For years, Ghaleb would work up to 16 hour days to provide for his family.

Before October 7, Ghaleb had been working on a chicken farm, learning everything necessary and saving money to open one of his own. Now Ghaleb's savings are all gone as he, like so many others in Gaza, has had to spend everything he's worked for in order to keep his family alive. Being without money in this dire situation and its exorbitant costs means that the family can't afford to eat and is forced to rely on volunteers who bring food to the neighbourhood. This means subsiding on one meal a day and being hungry all the time.

In Ghaleb's own words: "I want to meet my family's needs or leave the country with my family. Before the war, I did not think about asking anyone for anything. I used to fulfil my needs and the needs of my family, but unfortunately now there is no work. I wish I could bring fruit to one of my sisters. They always ask me and I don't know what to tell them. I remain silent."

As Ghaleb's family and the people of Gaza draw on every last reserve of strength to help and provide for each other, let us be the support they urgently need. Where food, water and other basic necessities are hard to come by, let us at least contribute the funds needed to obtain them where available.

We are therefore launching a heartfelt fundraising campaign to aid the members of Ghaleb's family. We are asking for 42.500€ for the family's safe release to Egypt (at the rate of 5.000€ per adult and 2.500€ per child) and a further 8.500€ for life-saving aid, for now in Gaza but hopefully also to help them settle in safety.

All contributions will go directly to contribute to securing essentials for the family like shelter, food, medical aid, and provide the possibility of seeking safety outside the conflict zone.

Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a significant impact and also brings hope to Ghaleb's family in these dark times. We all thank you for your support, be it through donating or sharing the Eyad family's story.

Your help can make a world's difference.

With hope and gratitude,

Ghaleb's family & Bianca

Even after losing their house and being displaced, Ghaleb's siblings were playing and having fun. Now there is nothing left to play with anymore. They play with stones.

Due to his old phone breaking, Ghaleb lost all photos of their life before the war. All that is left is the documentation of the destruction of their home after the bombing. The engineer told the family the house was no longer safe to live in and the family of 10 has been living in tent for 7 months now under incredible hardship.

Still, everyone does what they can to help: since there are no bakeries left, Ghaleb's mother has been baking bread even though the smoke from the fire caused her chest pains. Ghaleb visits other family members to help them fix their shelter.

Let's give the Eyad family a reason to smile by providing the funds they need to take care of their basic needs and have a chance at escaping to safety.

Every donation, no matter the size, can make a difference. Thank you so much for your support in these dark times!