Hello, my name is Brooke Cole and I am raising funds on behalf of Dr. Sameh's family in Gaza. I work for Orange Blossom Alliance, which is a non-profit organization that specializes in helping those from Gaza to get food aid and medical supplies. I personally run fundraisers to help families in Gaza raise money for food, water, medical supplies, and evacuation into Egypt. Dr. Sameh lives in Egypt, but his parents and most of his family are still trapped in Gaza with no money to evacuate and join him in Egypt.

Here is Dr. Sameh's story as told by him:

Dear kind people of the world,

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I have never, in my most terrifying nightmares, imagined that I would recourse to asking for help in such a manner. But the situation in Gaza is worse than the most terrifying nightmares.

I am a Palestinian Ph.d & lawyer who has dedicated his life to defending human rights and seeking justice for victims. I was born and raised in Gaza. I lived-- rather, I survived three previous destructive assaults on Gaza in 2008-2009, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2022. I moved to Egypt in 2023 and have been unable to see my family ever since.

I cannot stand the idea that I might not be able to meet them at all if they do not survive the current genocide. I lived the past 9 month with the hope that I will be able to embrace them one day and tell them how much I love them. I cannot give up on that hope I am starting this GoFundMe to ask fellow humans around the world to help me get my family to safety.

Since October 7th, Israel has killed over 100 of my family members, including my great aunt, several cousins and my close friend. Death got very close to my family, as they were exposed to bombing in Al-Wusta Governorate, which led to the killing of 500 civilians with an explosive barrel, and they saved them from that bombing. Now, all of them are displaced in Rafah including in schools and in tents, struggling to even secure drinkable water and food. It pains me to hear that from my extended family every time I manage to call them, which is usually extremely difficult. I struggle to function properly or even to live knowing that I might lose them at any point in time.

Your kind help would be a glimmer of hope in the bleak reality of Gaza today.

Ya Hala Coordination Company arranges the passage of Gazans to Egypt. However, one person must pay 5,000€ per adult (above 16 years old) and 2,500€ per child (under 16 years old) to get out. This is unaffordable for so many, including my family. For them, the cost of a journey to safety through the Egyptian border would reach 100,000€, which will help in paying the expenses of getting my family out of Gaza, including required permits and border crossing fees, and immediate assistance as they navigate their way to safety in Egypt.

Thank you so much in advance for your kind and generous help (including sharing this fundraiser) which represents our last resort, our last hope to get our family out of Gaza and ensure that our children will survive this genocide.

Finally the IDF army destroyed and burned my law office, my home, and my family's home.

Your contribution to this fundraising and to ensuring that my family get to safety will also be extremely helpful for me to keep doing my work defending human rights and calling for justice for all victims of atrocity crimes.

-Dr. Sameh

All funds will be transferred to a trusted family member of Sameh's family to their Bank of Palestine account through international wire transfer using IBAN. All transfers will be kept track of and stored in a document along with screenshot proof to be shared for the family's use for keeping track of funds. Proof of transfers may be shared any time at the discretion of the family or Gofundme organizer in order to show that money is being handled efficiently and with full transparency.

Please consider donating today to help Dr. Sameh's family secure evacuation to Egypt and reunite safely. Help them to leave the nightmare of genocide behind and begin a new life of safety, family, and peace in Egypt. If you cannot donate at this time, please consider sharing this fundraiser to social media or friends to get it to someone that can. Thank you for reading, and may God bless you.