Hello friends and supporters,

My name is Ayman Lubbad, researcher and human rights defender.
Many of you have followed my story since this campaign was first launched in January 2024, during one of the darkest chapters of our lives.

Link: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/israelopt-deep-concern-enforced-disappearance-detention-and-ill-treatment-human

At that time, my family and I were facing the unimaginable. Our home in Gaza City was destroyed while my wife was giving birth at Al-Shifa Hospital, and only days later, Israeli forces stormed my family’s home in Beit Lahiya, where I was detained on December 7, 2023. I was held for eight days without anyone knowing my whereabouts or condition.
This marked the beginning of a painful separation from my family that lasted one year and one month from December 2023 until February 2025. During that time, my wife and children endured multiple displacements, severe shortages of food and water, and constant fear under bombardment.

Thanks to your generosity and solidarity, the campaign raised $21,000 by May 2024 — a true light of hope amid despair. The funds were initially meant to help evacuate my family through the Rafah Crossing, but due to its closure, all evacuation efforts were suspended indefinitely.

Faced with this reality, I made the heartfelt decision to redirect the funds to assist other families in desperate need. Over several months, I distributed small grants — between $150 and $200 per family — to dozens of displaced and sick individuals, including cancer patients and families who had lost everything. Many of them were people I had met during my human rights fieldwork, and your contributions became a source of dignity and survival for them.

This act of compassion reminded me that even in hardship, humanity has the power to reach far beyond our own pain.

Today, as Gaza continues to endure one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history with over 80% of its infrastructure destroyed and repeated waves of displacement despite the ceasefire — we have reactivated the campaign.
The goal now is to support my family and other displaced families in covering rent for temporary shelters and securing essential needs across both northern and southern Gaza, where conditions remain extremely dire and tragic.

Link: Life-threatening dilemma: - Aren't we human too?
https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/al61b4/israel-inntar-gaza-by-som-aa-vente-paa-doeden

Every contribution, no matter the amount, remains a lifeline — not only for my family, but for dozens of others struggling to survive amid this ongoing devastation.

Thank you for standing with us on this journey through loss, resilience, and our shared hope for peace and safety.

With deep gratitude,
Ayman Lubbad