Hi, my name is Frances and I am from Melbourne, Australia. I am creating this campaign on behalf of my dear friend Sohaib Akram Khalaf who is a 24 year old IT student and is currently situated in the North of Gaza with his mother, 2 sisters and his 10 year old brother, Muhammad (aka Hamood ❤️) 

Sohaib is an avid football player who suffered a debilitating ACL injury that required surgery. And although he had the surgery a month before the latest aggression in Gaza began, he was unable to complete any proper physical therapy to assist in his rehabilitation, so he was forced to teach himself how to walk again amidst the rubble and destruction. Sohaib still requires medical attention which these funds raised will also assist in. 

Sohaib is facing unimaginable hardship on a daily and fears for the lives of not only himself but his family. Especially his little brother. The situation in the North of Gaza is dire, they are facing unending famine and constant danger everywhere they turn with increasing bombardment heavily in all surrounding areas. The North has been completely decimated and Sohaib is urgently needing to be able to accumulate funds to sustain their survival on a daily basis and eventually aid in the evacuation of himself and his little brother to Egypt once the Rafah border finally reopens.

Due to the exorbitant cost of living prices, it can cost many Gazawi families upwards of $150-$300 a day just for basic necessities which include food, water, gas and medicine. It is even more difficult in the North of Gaza due to the extreme scarcity of food and water, which in turn raises the prices of the little resources they can find, exponentially.

The cost of passage for each person to cross the Egyptian Rafah crossing via the Hala Consulting and Tourism company is:

The breakdown of additional required funds is as follows:

= $16,500 USD (which equals roughly $25,000 AUD)

Total amount needed will be $18,000 USD (around $28,000 AUD) which will also help cover GoFundMe fees as well as additional Bank costs.

It should also be noted that this amount may increase as needed and is the difference remaining from the total amount of $30,000 USD that would be required for Sohaib’s 5 family members which includes his 2 sisters and mother.

Until evacuation, Sohaib will also need to be able to provide financially for his remaining family members and your donations will assist him in doing so by aiding in him providing basic necessities for his family.

As people may already be well aware, these beautiful souls are exhausted. They need relief and if we can facilitate that relief by providing the financial assistance to alleviate the burden that is placed on the shoulders of people like Sohaib, then why not do everything we possibly can?

Please share the link and donate generously, every cent will help in every way possible and we will be all the more grateful for it.

All funds will be transferred via bank account and Western Union to Sohaib’s aunt in Egypt who will then transfer the funds directly to Sohaib.

In closing, here is a message from Sohaib himself:

“Having my father being away from us , left me with no choice but to be the man of the house taking full responsibility on protecting my family who are all I’ve got left in this world. I won’t start talking about me first , because I want to introduce to u the person I love most in the world , my brother Muhammad.

He is 9 years old , I once made sure for him to be one of happiest children in the world but the things goes the other way of our will ! And he never had the chance to live his childhood as I promised him , having him in this young age facing the cruelty of the world with destruction, horror and running barefoot under heavy bombardment. I will never forget that look on his sweaty face with tears in his eyes, begging for a little rest, and I had nothing in my hands .

Now , Hi , my name is Sohaib, i'm turning 24 this July, I was supposed to graduate from the IT faculty , but I lost that too , due to having my university completely destroyed!

I was passionate in alot of things , I learned to build myself and be the man I was proud of at a young age. I got a job and started to know the worth of living decently , I also was passionate in football not like any young boy , it grew up with me. I proved myself among my community and ran after any chance I had to show myself off ! Only when I thought I’m starting to live my youth at its best, my life took a hard turn. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) got injured and I had to have an operation to be able to walk normally again !

I wasn't able to get the medical care I needed to heal well , physiotherapy , not even the simplest requirement , I wasn't able to get ice packs ! My health condition kept getting worse but that wasn't an excuse to not protect my family and be with them while being displaced and trying to provide the requirements for a decent life .

And I will keep it going, and for that I NEED your help, in reaching me to the safety i seek.

I am hopeful for your generous support in helping me starting over , and giving my family the life they deserve .

With love and gratitude

Sohaib.”

If you would like to follow along with Sohaib’s journey, please follow him on IG at: @sohaib_khalaf6

You can also follow me on IG for additional updates at: @franipani84

Please give what you can to allow this family another chance at life and ensure their safety. Palestinians are not numbers, they are human beings who are worthy of living a life free from occupation and oppression.