Medical aid for Umm Ali after stroke in Gaza.

UPDATE (Mar-13, 2024)

Hassen left Gaza in September 2023 for the Arab Club Championship basketball tournament in Qatar with fourteen members of the Al-Bureij basketball team. While at the tournament, war broke out in Gaza. Several members of the team successfully returned to be with their families in Gaza, but Hassen got stuck after the border closed, making it impossible to return.

He is now relying on the kindness of strangers to eat during the day and find places to sleep at night. He is very worried about his family who are living in a tent in Deir al Balah. His beloved grandmother had a stroke and is unable to get medical assistance. So for what little money comes in for Hassen through this gofundme, he will make a daily choice whether to eat or save the money to send for his family, who are struggling to eat in Deir al Balah, where people are dying for a piece of bread.

He relies on the help of strangers in Cairo and on social media to help him, so he can help his family, but it’s not enough.

Rent in Cairo is 10,000 pounds per month. So that’s about 250 US dollars per month.

He has sent his family money whenever he can, but lately, he hasn’t sent anything. He believes he has been able to send them about 3000 pounds total up till now.

Hassen with his father and little brother Youssef

Hassen's sisters, Mays and Lana

UPDATE (Jan-30, 2024)

Thank you so much for your donations, everyone. They have made a big difference in the lives of these men. Many of the players have been able to make it back to their families in Gaza. There are currently 6 members still in Cairo.

The biggest need these guys have now is trying to support their families back in Gaza. Hassen's grandmother, Umm Ali, suffered a stroke during the war, and there are no hospitals in Gaza due to the destruction caused by the Israeli occupation bombing hospitals and leaving them out of medical service. There are no medications for treatment, and she needs to leave Gaza as soon as possible.

Going forward, funds raised here will go toward helping player's families in Gaza, including trying to arrange medical treatment for Umm Ali in Egypt.

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION

Fourteen members of the Al-Bureij basketball team were at a tournament in Qatar when war broke out in their home of Gaza. These men are now stranded in Cairo without funds to live and without contact with their families and loved ones in Gaza. The border is closed and they cannot go home. They are running out of options as they wait and pray that their families are safe and that they will have a home to return to.

After winning the championship in Gaza, the team competed in the Arab Club Championship in Doha, Qatar, but left the championship before the end because of the war breaking out at home. They have been struggling to return to their loved ones in the weeks since.

I had the pleasure of meeting some of these men when I was traveling through Qatar recently. Now as these regional basketball stars struggle and have become refugees, I hope that others will help me provide them some aide. I will transfer any funds raised to the team in Cairo via Western Union at the end of the fundraiser to help them cover living expenses (the 14 of them are currently staying in two houses in Cairo) and help them reunite with their families and loved ones.