URGENT! Ismail's Family Need To Escape To Survive.

Hello lovely human, my name is Ritisha Roy, living in Mumbai, India. Together, with Emily Kretzer, we are raising funds for our dear friend Ismail Erbai and his family to evacuate Gaza, for a life of safety and free from terror.

Thank you so much for taking your time to get to know the Erbai family. Your empathy towards his family gives us hope to save their lives.

The Erbai family of four - Ismail, his wife Najlaa and two small kids have lived in Gaza all their lives. Their connection to their homeland runs deep…however they are forced to leave to escape death.

Ismail's family with a relative.

They had a lovely and fulfilling life before the war. They lived in a family home, Ismail worked to provide for his family, and his wife was pregnant - awaiting their second bundle of joy. What should have been a joyous and supportive time turned into a nightmare. Najlaa gave birth to their beautiful daughter Swar amidst the war, with airstrikes and sniper rifles surrounding the hospital.

The lives of the Erbai family, before the war.

Ismail just hopes to give his family a safe & loving home, a chance at life and a prosperous future. He is a talented Mathematician and specialises in developing teaching methods for schools. Before the war, he had a thriving career and provided for his family without difficulty.

Now, everything is lost. Their house was bombed by the airstrikes. Everything they had was destroyed in a split second. With no savings, livelihood and the imminent danger of being attacked, they had to make the difficult decision of leaving their hometown to protect their lives.

The Erbai family’s house after airstrikes and raids.

Ismail witnessing the damage in his neighbourhood, where he found an unexploded missile.

Ismail and his family were displaced multiple times, and are currently living in a tent in Rafah, the southernmost area of Gaza. With barely any food, water, livable shelter, and hygiene essentials, they are at the risk of being starved and getting severe infections.

Ismail, Najlaa and their two kids, Ahmed and Swar in their tent.

The barely insulated tent they are sheltering in.

With the attacks towards Rafah increasing, they desperately need to evacuate to Egypt. However, people are being charged $10,000 per person to evacuate Gaza. The funds required to evacuate are excessive and cannot be achieved without your help.

We are raising funds to enable Ismail’s family to evacuate, rebuild their lives and do what they love to do, just like the rest of us.

Ismail messaged us saying,

“Life has become very bitter. I am tired, I swear I am very tired and I am tired psychologically. I hope you understand me and feel for me. Every day I see danger and my children see danger, and they scream at the sound of airplane missiles. The army is getting closer to us, and every day they are advancing more. I see dead neighbours, friends, and loved ones. I dream that I will travel and go to Egypt safely and see my children safe and happy.”

We are the only hope for Ismail’s family. They deserve the chance to live in a safe environment, have careers, watch their children grow and play just like any of us.

Your donation, no matter the amount, can make a difference. Together, we can raise the necessary funds to facilitate their evacuation and provide them a chance for a new beginning. Emily and I urge you to please contribute to his family and share this with your friends and family to help this family find the safety and security they so desperately need.

The full names of the family are as follows:

Ismail A. H. Erbai, 32 years

Najlaa M. S. Muhareb, 28 years

Ahmed Ismail Ahmed Erbai, 1.9 years

Swar Ismail Ahmed Erbai, 3 months

The funds will be used for:

Broker fees for Ismail and Najlaa - $20,000

Broker fees for Ahmed and Swar - $10,000

Broker processing charges - $1,500

GoFundMe Fees - approx $2,000 (2.9% + $0.30 per donor transaction)

With the two small kids aged 1.9 years and 3 months, the rest of the money will be used to help them rebuild their lives and look for new sources of income. They will need accommodation (rents can go up to $2,000) and supplies for their kids such as medicine, diapers, milk, food, blankets and more.

The funds will be collected by Emily Kretzer in the USA and then transferred to Ismail's mother-in-law in Egypt to enable evacuation.

For more information, please find our Instagram channels below:

Ritisha Roy: https://www.instagram.com/ritisharoy_/

Emily Kretzer: https://www.instagram.com/emkretz/

Ismail Erbai: https://www.instagram.com/mr_ismail.erbia/