Below is Ibrahim’s Story:

“Hi, I am Ibrahim Mahmoud Al-Najjar from Khan Younis in Gaza, Palestine. I am a father of 4 children. My family and I have been living in a tent for 10 months with minimal supplies, no electricity, and are facing the challenges of surviving during a state of war. The war has destroyed everything for us, including our homes and any sense of normality.

My children are suffering from nightmares, so I ask you to give my children back a little hope of survival from the certain death we are living. My children deserve life.

Help us get out of Gaza and save my children from the maze of death we are living in. The money will be used for both our daily survival and for our eventual hopes to evacuate into Egypt when the border reopens. For now, the funds will be used to cover basic living expenses such as shelter, food, clothing, and medical care, all of which is a challenge for us to currently afford.

May peace one day be granted to all of us in Palestine. Until then, we humbly ask for your help. We need it."

My name is Ahssan and I am the organizer of this fundraiser for Ibrahim. Like so many of you, ever since the war in Gaza began, l could not skip the harrowing footage of the mutilated and decapitated bodies of the people of Gaza from my social media feeds.

This was made personal because I knew someone who was living in Gaza and was dealing with it in real time, while I was only watching it happen behind a screen.

I first met this Ibrahim through LinkedIn. (linkedin.com/in/ibrahim-mahmoud-84337b1bb) Like any ordinary person in today's day and age, he was engaging in building his network to consequently build his career. This was before the horrific war started. Now, Ibrahim has to focus on helping his family survive each and every day.

As the war raged on, Ibrahim provided me with his accounts of what was happening on the ground in Gaza. I saw his children atop the rubble of their own house as seen in the headline photo. I heard from him that they were constantly being forced to move from one area to another. Yet through it all, I saw this man somehow still putting on a smile when talking to me... despite conditions I could not even imagine going thru.

I can vouch for Ibrahim's story and identity as I have firsthand had video calls with the same person you see in the cover photo (with his beautiful son). By matching his distinct facial features and observing his environment, I made sure that the person you see In the cover photo is the exact same person I have often video chatted with.

A single dollar goes a long way to provide for Ibrahim and his family's immediate daily needs (tents, food, medical care, etc.) and their hopes to escape Gaza, not because they want to, but because they have to, in order to survive.

In the aforementioned video calls, he has shown me the destruction right at his footstep. Putting ourselves in his shoes, can we fathom raising a family amongst the backdrop of constant explosions and resulting rubble?

It is truly as desperate as it sounds.

He, his wife, and four children are innocent civilians trying to just live their lives in peace with their neighbors across the border. They want nothing but the chance to prosper and thrive.

Let us hope this war ends and the suffering of innocent people on both sides (Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs) of the conflict ends as soon as possible. In the meantime, all of us should try to help him and his family survive another day.

Thank You.

(Pictured below: Ibrahim with his two daughters and remnants of their destroyed home)