Help Haythem and His Family Evacuate Gaza

Help Haythem and His Family Evacuate Gaza

Hi everyone,

My name is Tariq. I'm a Palestinian-American based in NY with family and friends in Gaza. I'm fundraising on the behalf of my friend Haytham and his family who, like so many others, have lost so much and are now hoping to evacuate Gaza before it's too late.

As I write this, Israeli forces have killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza over a span of just 5 months, the vast majority of whom are innocent men, women, and children. Thousands more are missing. Israel's assault has totally destroyed Gaza, leaving over 2 million people displaced. Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid have triggered a famine, and with no end in sight to Israel's attacks, so many have been left with no choice but to desperately look for a way out.

Haythem's story is a familiar one - Haythem, his wife, and his two daughters, 13-year-old Nirvana and 3-year-old Milad, were forced to flee their home, which was completely destroyed by Israeli attacks, on October 13. Since then, they have been displaced over and over again. Now, Haythem and 9 other members of his family are sheltering in tents in Rafah where there is little electricity or basic supplies - just the terrifying sounds of Israeli fighter jets and tanks. Haythem's eldest daughter, Nirvana, had been studying at the American International School in Gaza before Israel's invasion and hopes to be able to go back to school some day. Haythem's brother Ramez joined them after his wife and children were all killed in an Israeli air strike. Now, Israel has announced it will invade Rafah, where over a million Palestinians have sought shelter, giving Haythem and his family no choice but to find a way to evacuate to Egypt. In Haythem's words: "the ultimate goal is to escape the spectre of death and search for a glimmer of hope in what remains of our life."

Crossing into Egypt has become extremely expensive, costing $5,000-$7,000 per person. We're setting a starting goal of raising $75,000 to cover the cost of crossing for 10 people. Any donation, no matter how small, will make a significant difference to the safety of Haythem and his family.

At this point, I'm sure most of us have seen dozens of fundraisers like these. To many of us Americans, this may sound like yet another far away problem. a tragedy that we just can't do anything about. Gaza may be far away, but it is our duty as Americans do do everything we can to help, whether it's calling our representatives to push for a ceasefire or contributing to fundraisers, because our tax dollars are being used to create this calamity. While contributing to this fundraiser will not fix everything, it is one small step we can take to help Haythem and his family.

Thanks in advance for your support - it truly means the world.