Help Evacuate my Family in Gaza in Dire Need

My name is Israa and I am a Palestinian and Egyptian American who has all of my mom's side of the family stuck in Rafah, Gaza. They have been living in Gaza their whole lives but the war has made life unbearable and unlivable. Half of my family has been taking shelter at my grandma's house after my Uncle, Atef Alqutati's home in the city of Tel al-Hawa was bombed at the start of the war, along with his eldest son's home (my cousin Mohammed, 30) and the other half living in a tent amongst the 1.5 million people displaced.

These are children and individuals who have lost everything – their homes, businesses, jobs, money, and dreams. The funds raised from this campaign will help to pay the fare of $7000 per person to cross the Egyptian/Gaza border where they will then take refuge in my relative's home, in addition to support for any medical assistance they may need, so they can begin to rebuild their lives. $7000 fee per person for a total of 16 family members.

Unfortunately after losing everything, this is the only option for them, and possibly their last chance at surviving this war, with the ground invasion in Rafah looming, bombing and starvation increasing by the day, we are racing against time. If there’s anyone who can help us get there, it’s this incredible, passionate community.

Every donation, no matter the size, will make a monumental difference in The Alqutati's journey toward safety.

This is Nour Alqutati, my cousin, 26. She was an English teacher at a private school. She loved going to the gym, playing with her cats, and hanging out with family. She was loved by all her students and all faculty.

You can see the classroom she used to teach before.

And this is after it was bombed.

Her students have either been killed or still not found.

Nour has also suffered third degree burns on her right leg during the second month of the war, from being outside when an airstrike hit the building near her home. She is a hijabi so she is not comfortable sharing the condition of her leg, but she will need to get cosmetic surgery to make her leg normal again. Her pain has affected her walk, and she has not had it checked out since due to the hospitals becoming danger zones.

These are my eldest cousin Mohammed's kids, Moatasem is 5 and Obida is 2 years old. They are living in the tents which is cold for them and they do not have any more disposable diapers for Obida to use.

For his diapers, they are using a fabric and washing it with cold water and reusing it. He has a rash, inflammation, and redness that makes him cry all night.

This is my grandma, Ataf Alqutati, She is 82 years old and has a heart condition that requires her to be on lifelong medication. Her medicine has run out and there is no where and no means to get more of what she needs.

My grandma now.

My uncle Atef Alqutati, 55, has several chronic diseases including diabetes, nerve disease, and high blood pressure. He was treating his leg before, but since the war started, he has not had the proper care and he has developed a tumor on his leg, making him unable to walk unless on his makeshift crutches.

This is my cousin Kareem, he is 17 and a Karate champion. He was supposed to compete in the International Karate Championship but his dreams have been destroyed and he has entered into a bad depression. He is so talented but now he has to get water and make food for the family.

Ahmed is 21 and is an engineer. His passion was to work in the electric car industry. He just started his job in a workshop but now he's been tasked with finding the wood they need to start a fire to make bread, since there is no gas.

This is my aunt's family, the AbuHumaid family. They used all of what was left in their savings, everything they had, and made the hard decision to evacuate their eldest daughter, my cousin Yara AbuHumaid, 20, who has been enrolled as a student at a dental school in Egypt.

They did not have enough money to send the rest of their children. Their hope is to be able to send the rest of them first before joining them if they cannot leave together.

Their son Mohammed AbuHumaid, 16, is suffering from an autoimmune disease, which he was receiving treatments for before the war. Since the war began, he has received zero treatment for his sclerosis and the toxicity from the bombs in the air has made his health worse.

Here is a voice note from my cousin Nour, sharing her experiences with me, telling me evacuating is her only hope.

The company that we will be purchasing their evacuation passage from is the Hala Travel Company, an Egyptian company. This is the only company that is allowing passage for Palestinians at the moment.

We need your help to save their lives and to get them to safety, to start a new life all together, and we can only do this together, as a community. Thank you for being with us in this!

Thank you for your kindness, generosity, and support,

Israa and the Elhalawany + Alqutati + AbuHumaid family