Help Evacuate Medhat's Baby Brother, Dad & Stepmom

Hi- my name is Keren Carmeli, an activist for Palestinian rights living in Albany, NY and I'm fundraising to help my friend Medhat Al-Rubei raise funds to evacuate his father (Ayman), stepmother (Naema) and newborn baby brother, Malek. All contributions will be used for their evacuation fees and basic necessities upon arrival in Egypt.

Medhat came into my life kind of by accident- in Fall 2022, the 17 year old from Gaza was granted the rare opportunity to leave Gaza for the first time in his life and study in the US through the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad program (YES). When his designated host family fell through, my mother volunteered to host him in her home and he became part of our family. At the end of the school year, we were so scared to watch Medhat leave, but he was eager to go back to Gaza- home.

Now Medhat's home is in rubble. His mother's house has been completely destroyed, along with all his belongings and souvenirs from his time in the US. While he, his mother and sisters were able to evacuate to Cairo back in December, we are now raising funds to evacuate his father, stepmother and his newborn baby brother Malek (born in Gaza City March 12th).

Medhat writes: " On December 2nd we had to make the hard decision of leave Gaza and also leave our dad behind. Since my parents are separated, we had to choose between leaving Gaza Strip with our mom, or staying with our dad. But with the impending invasion of Khan Younis, we knew staying would mean we'd be displaced again, but this time with no shelter or food, so we had to leave- our eyes drowning in tears.

My dad, a Doctor, stayed behind to help heal the injured and work with babies born in extreme conditions of starvation and cold. And while he takes care of women and babies in Rafah, his pregnant wife remained behind in Gaza City, where she just gave birth to my baby brother Malek on March 12th. Newborns are at extreme risk and I want the chance to meet my brother and see him grow up.

I know there are people who won’t fail me to try to get my beloved ones out of Gaza, they already have been through enough, and they still face the threat of being killed. Having a baby is scary enough, but especially when the smell of death is everywhere and the fear of starvation is present. So please consider donating or sharing.”

We must do everything in our power to end the genocide in Gaza. Many people feel helpless, but this is something concrete we can do that will make an enormous difference in Medhat's life, and mine.

Please give whatever you can- anything helps.

Thank you,

Keren Carmeli