Hi everyone, I am Nicole from Toronto, Canada. My friend and colleague Karim Abu Abualroos is a writer from Gaza, and after losing over 30 members of his family the remaining survivors are desperate to evacuate. I offered to facilitate this fundraiser, and all funds will go directly to Karim's family in Gaza to help:

1) those with passports evacuate, and

2) help pay for passports for the rest of the family so they too can evacuate.

Pease read his full story below, and consider donating to help his family. Thank you for your generosity.

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My name is Karim Abualroos. I left Gaza about 4 years ago to study for a MA in political science, hoping to work in the human rights field. After exhausting all other possibilities to evacuate my family from Gaza I am hoping that this fundraising campaign can raise funds to help my family through this crisis.

Since October 7 my life and that of my family has turned upside down. Unimaginably, I have lost nearly 30 members of my family. I still cannot comprehend.

On October 13 I lost my sister Hadeel, her husband Basel, her daughters Eline and Celine, her sons Mohamed and Mahmoud, my aunt, my uncle, my cousin, and many of my friends. At this moment, family who have survived so far are still in Gaza, in the south. My father Nasser and my dear mother Basma, my only remaining sister Doha, and my two brothers Fakhry and Youssef.

My surviving family are still trapped in Gaza and fear for their lives every second. They never know whether they will live to see tomorrow. The collapse of Gaza's institutions and ministries prevented all family members from obtaining passports, so the family decided to allow Youssef and Doha to leave to safety and the rest would hopefully follow once they can obtain passports.

My brother Youssef is a highly qualified software engineer. My sister Doha is a freelance designer. Neither can financially afford to travel and exit Gaza.

While the shelling is now directed and concentrated in the southern areas of the Gaza Strip, our family home has been partially damaged and rendered uninhabitable. My sister's house was also completely destroyed. The search for a safe area is essentially a search for minimum essential living requirements. In the areas of displacement in Rafah, my family, others who have been displaced and the local population itself are suffering from food shortages, lack of clean water and a complete blackout of electricity.

While our family home is damaged and considered unsafe, it is still being shared by dozens of family members, friends and acquaintances simply for shelter from the elements, despite the risk. The house is completely packed, but it is impossible to consider any other way now that it is winter. Everyone shares food and drink and any basic necessities of life they can get their hands on.

Youssef suffered a major trauma as he saw the rocket fall on our sister's family house, and was the first to arrive at the scene and to begin to dig to retrieve their bodies. Even today, more than two months after their death, he cannot deal with their martyrdom and suffers from severe depression.

How do you choose who in your family should possibly survive? Who is more at risk even in trying to stay or leave? This heartbreak is unimaginable, but we had to try to keep some of us alive. We don't know when and how the war will stop, and whether or not our family will survive this utter madness.

My family is trying to hold onto hope, especially Youssef and Doha. They still dream of a peaceful future, but at this moment we need to get them to a safe place. They want to go to Egypt to escape this nightmare, and we need your help so they can make this move. Your donation will save their lives along with my family members. I’ll share their journey with you so you can see how your help is making a difference. Your support means everything to my family, and will give them a chance to get to safety.