Help A Family in Gaza Evacuate & Start Over

My name is Louise, I live in Scotland, and I'm helping a Palestinian family who have had their lives destroyed by the ongoing crisis to evacuate Gaza. Many families have no-one outside of Palestine to help set up their Go Fund Me account to enable them to evacuate, so I am volunteering on their behalf.

Islam is a 23-year-old engineering student from Gaza who has been displaced by the devastating situation in Gaza.

He is a talented photographer, a coffee lover, who worked hard on his dreams and enjoyed life.

He is attempting to raise money for his family:

They are living in a tent in Khan Younis after their home was destroyed. The money will be used to evacuate Gaza and rebuild their lives, so the brothers can continue their education. This is their story.

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Islam says:

I found myself in a strange situation to ask for help, but in this war, I lost my studies, work, dreams, memories, and a number of my family and friends.

The war has stolen my academic degrees, all our money and security. I could not imagine reaching this stage, where there is no house, work, or income left. We are now living in a moment when we only have clothes.

My family was living a perfect life. We had a luxury home in the best residential neighbourhood, and we were all actively pursuing our personal endeavours. My parents were very involved in their work, and my brothers were dedicated to studying.

As a civil engineering student in my fifth year, I found myself halfway through, and my future was lost.

With no college or university to complete my education, as a result of the destruction of my university

And my brother and sister, who were keen to complete their education, are now standing halfway, and their future of learning is stopped by war and debris.

This war not only demolished our home and dream, but also destroyed our workplace, the Restretto cafe, where I was working in marketing and academically in the coffee industry. Together, we were building our future step by step.

Restretto cafe work space. before:

And after:

However, everything changed on October 7th, when the tragedy occurred. A week later, we were forced to flee our house after a rocket fire belt hit the ground surrounding our home, and we fled with nothing but clothes on our backs.

We went to a shelter school in Khan Younis, where we spent about a week. Then we decided to go to the old family house, but before we went to it, it was targeted with 3 rockets. Eight members of my family and others were seriously injured and suffered amputations.

Then we went to a nearby house and stayed for three months: every night, we tried to sleep in one room, listening to the sounds of explosions, indiscriminate shells that do not stop and the screams of neighbours. We see the flames, the smoke poles of internationally prohibited phosphorus bombs rise to the sky, and warplanes and drones flying over our heads.

On the evening of January 16th, we were trapped by tanks and again forced to leave our place under the noise of bombing, airstrikes and shooting.

But this time, we had nowhere to go.

We went to the Al-Mawasi area in the middle of a night full of cold and fear to live in a tent that does not protect against the cold. Due to pollution, poor sanitation, and high prices of necessities, we are suffering from a lack of food, water, and diseases.

And here, we have reached over 165 days. We never thought our beautiful future would become this nightmare.

We are proud people who are trying to survive the most terrible circumstances.

The purpose of the fundraising campaign is to rebuild our future, and so I can travel to complete my education.

Asking for help is not easy, but we are left with no choice if we want to survive. As we strive to rebuild our broken lives, we are very grateful for any help you can give. Thank you for your kindness and generosity in our time of need.

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The funds raised will be used to evacuate Gaza: every person crossing into Egypt must pay $5000, and $2500 for children.

There are also fees involved and living expenses to consider when they reach Egypt.

How You Can Help

Donate: Every donation, no matter its size, brings the family closer to reaching safety and rebuilding their lives.

Share: Amplify their voice. Sharing their journey with your network can significantly widen the circle of support.

‏You can follow Islam on Instagram islam.abu.mohsen to see his latest updates, and take a closer look the bitter reality he and his family are experiencing. Help them rebuild some hope, one brick at a time.