Escaping death: Help evacuate my family from Gaza.

Note: ABDELRAHMAN is added as a trusted beneficiary to recieve the fund and transfer it to me based on GoFundMe rules regarding the country of the bank account'

Dear beloved kind-hearted supporters,

I'm seeking help to save my family's lives from the bloody war happening in Gaza. It is urgent!

"I'm shaking, unsure if it's from the cold of the tent or because of fear. Or both? I'm not exaggerating if I say that this war in Gaza feels like a nightmare from Hollywood horror movies - huge bombings, shredded bodies of children, the shrieking of women and men, shattered houses, dark smoky roads, and terrifying silence of people. It is hard to believe that all of this is really happening in Gaza!"

It was my hope to share my sustainable dream project with my community and obtain appropriate funding to support it. But, I found myself in a compelling and miserable circumstance, and I feel it is my duty to seek support to help my family and myself in unimaginable war happening now in Gaza, with its humanitarian and trauma crises, to evacuate to a safe place.

My name is Ahmed Al-Natour, a 26-year-old with a B.A. degree in English Literature, living in the besieged Gaza. People describe me as an ambitious young man who enjoys the support of his family, friends, and colleagues. I work in the field of project management and public relations in non-profit and educational organizations. My passion is around entrepreneurship, education, and community services.

And while I was living a normal life and drawing the future of my family, my community, and myself, however; on the 7th of October, 2023, our lives were shattered by the sudden outbreak of war . There was no warning, no safety, and no choice. Our neighborhood is destroyed and so our normal life.

And now, I am writing my story while the sound of bombing, explosion, ambulances, and military aircraft continues for the 139 days. The torrent of blood and the number of victims has been devasting, which exceeded 40,000 lives lost and missing, and still continuing.

My family of 10, including peaceful men, women, children, elderly, and patients, is constantly displacing from one place to another due to the ongoing war. My family have been repeatedly getting sick for the months with no access to medical treatment. We are desperate for help to escape the hellish conditions and crises caused by this conflict.

The situation here is dire. We are left without a warm home after the bombings, struggling to afford food, water, transportation, or even to find a tent as a shelter. The war has destroyed over 70% of the homes in Gaza, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without work or a place to live. The psychological toll is immense, and I feel a deep sense of injustice, loss, and fear.

This forced us to live in refugee camps, in tents and flaccid buildings, without access to basic humanitarian services such as clean water, healthy food, medicine, transportation, and even bathrooms. Our daily life is filled with fear as we escape from intense bombing and mourn the loss of relatives and friends.

We struggle to be alive, standing in long, cold, and rainy lines for basic necessities. I still remember how we spent three days, in long cold lines only to get one bag of flour to feed our children; and such like other things we are trying to get; un-healthy food, bathrooms, limited medicine, polluted water ...etc. Our normal life that we were living is not existing anymore.

Dears, the situation here can't be handled in a way that made us trying to find a survival opportunity, and we found just one way, and it is by evacuating to a safe place outside Gaza… Ooh! Right now, right now I can hear five bombings… hoping that there are no victims!

What a scenario that I am writing while bombings are still continuing! That is how the only way to survive is to flee Gaza, which is already besieged, and to flee you need a permit from the Egyptian Cross border to put our names on the documents and passports. This permit we can get it from such service offices estimated between 6000$ to 8000$ per person. How can we handle this price for my family especially that we have displaced and left everything behind?!

It is not our habit to ask for financial help, but given the circumstances in Gaza, I am aiming, with a heavy heart, to raise a humanitarian fund of 71,000 U.S $ to find a safe shelter for my family who are currently under a fierce criminal war. So, pardon me to clarify how this campaign will help and why:

Why I am seeking help?

We can sum up our suffering in “no home, no treatment, no jobs, and many psychological crises, traumas, starving, and horror.”

1- Heavy travel costs: The only way to flea from the war and survive is through the Egyptian Rafah crossing, the only road that connects Gaza to the world. The costs have become exorbitant, as each person need approximately 6,000 to 8,000 US dollars to allow us to travel and leave the Egyptian Rafah crossing (described in the following link).

https://www.occrp.org/en/blog/18400-only-those-with-money-can-leave-gazans-pay-thousands-to-escape-through-egypt

2- We are homeless: I cannot believe that my family have been displaced 6 times in Gaza, living in tents and flaccid buildings in various areas. We live in cold conditions and struggle to find food, money, and a sustain shelter with members family who need intensive health care.

3- Limited access to healthcare and medication is a daily struggle for my family. One of my family members suffers from a chronic psychological crisis and has to take 8 pills daily. My parents both suffer from high blood pressure and require 4 doses of medication daily. Additionally, we struggle to provide intensive care for our children who suffer from cold and lack of food and education, as well as elderly people who need specific services.

4- We lost our jobs in the war: We lost four of our jobs, which were our means of making a living, in this war. Yes, we lost our jobs, and there is no hope for their return in light of the destruction and the terror that we experience on a daily basis due to the severe explosions from the air, sea, and land.

I used to work as a project and communications manager in a school with hundreds of students, and my brother was working in medical labs. Others were working in the fields of accounting and customer services. None of us work now! None! What a heartbreaking.

How your generous donation could help?

I aim from this campaign to help my family evacuate from Gaza as a mean to escape the hell and horrors of this criminal war, ensuring their safety and well-being. The coordination fee to help my family leave through the Egypt Crossing Border, the only crossing road to leave Gaza, is $6000 per person (paid to the Egyptian authorities to put my family members' names on documented permits and passports).

• 6000 U.S. $ per person: Cost of travel permits for my 10-members family to cross the Egyptian Crossing Border (Rafah Crossing).

6000$ * 10 members = 60000$

• 400 U.S. $ per month: Cost of apartment rent that my family will stay on till we find a way to work and to continue our evacuation that may take 4 – 5 months.

400$ * 5 months = 1600$

• 2000 U.S. $ per month: Costs of food, winter clothes, water, medicine, transportation and other necessities for my family.

2000$ * 5 months = 10000 $

The total cost of travel permits, rent, and necessities is = 71,600 U.S. $ equals 91,000 Canadian Dollars.

Any additional funds we will use to rebuild our life, and if possible, to provide us with a permanent house that incubates my family.

(I wish I could afford it myself as I consider it my duty to save my family rather than bothering you with this number but unfortunately, I couldn't... it is a target on my back)

How your generous donation will impact us?

Every amount, no matter how small, will always count and is considered a turning point for my family's life. Your generous funding will not only help my family evacuate from the war and live peacefully, but it will also give us a sense of hope and a strong belief in humanity.

In this war, every second counts – every pair of hands makes a difference, and so does every penny. Helping my family through your contribution will save our lives from this bloody war, paving the way for my brothers and sisters' dreams, and allowing my family to take their basic human rights.

As for myself, I am committed to helping this world, even though it has abandoned us. I will continue to help my people as much as I can. I will shelter other families if I have a home. I will continue on the path of leadership and supporting education, which is my field of work. I will continue to return the favor to the remaining humanity. This continuation is fueled by you.

**This phots shows the street that we used to live in**

I'd love to introduce you my family:

The fact that you are here reading my story and trying to help graciously makes me feel like you're part of my family. It is my pleasure to introduce my kind family to you:

We are a family of 10, originally from the 1948 territories and registered as refugees with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Since that day, we have been receiving health care and education services until this war happened, forcing us to be displaced again.

My father, Youssef, 80-years-old, dedicated his life to teaching students from various nationalities in the Arabian Gulf and the Levant.

My father worked tirelessly to create a home that would provide us with warmth, stability, and cherished memories. A house that would shelter us, a house that would not only symbolize stones or living rooms, but would be characterized by warmth, steadfastness, memories, and normal life. A house that would hug our dreams and ambitions. But every time he took a step toward that, Gaza’s living conditions became stronger and more difficult. This war highlights the urgent need for a safe and secure home for my family.

My mother, who is 60-year-old, is a lovely housewife who bravely navigates the challenges of living in Gaza during war. She is my father’s partner in facing the various challenges of living in Gaza, and she shares the same dream with my father of finding peace and a home that will incubate us.

My two sisters, Aziza and Reham have finished their university majors in childhood education and the English language and aspire to live in a better world.

My brother, Samir, 38, is a dedicated medical analyst with a loving wife and three wonderful children: Ti'am (8), Youssef (10), and Lana (10). They all share the dream of having a peaceful home to spend their nights in safety and comfort away from the war.

My entire family has been displaced together under fear, terror, and intense bombardment. Every one of us has hopes and dreams, all of which are besieged under a big black cloud called the Gaza War, in which they have nothing to do with.

A message from my heavy heart to your kind hearts:

Those 4 months of war have been of the hardest time we’ve ever seen. Houses, communities, lives, livelihoods and almost everything has been destroyed through deadly extreme war on Gaza.

In our journey through life, we all encounter moments when we need a helping hand, and a listening ear. These are the times when seeking support becomes invaluable. That is how astonishing that a simple click on the "Donate" button can change our lives.

This is our simple story, and that is how your support means more than just financial help for our evacuation. It gives us hope that there is still kindness and compassion in the world.

Do you know what also can change our lives? It is by sharing this campaign with your generous networks, family, and friends to help us. Can I wake up seeing the change the next day? I Hope so!

We need your help, right now. So, if you think you can give something, please don’t wait.

With all the love from my family and the people of Gaza,

Ahmed.