I am Zeenat, a family friend on the behalf on Khawla and Saleem, refugees in Egypt who have escaped the genocide in Gaza and support family still enduring the terrible bombing and starvation there.

Khawla's story:

My name is Khawla Al-Aidy and I am creating this GoFundMe as I am a refugee from the genocide in Gaza, living in Cairo with my husband Saleem and our two young children Ismail, 7, and Sara, who is 4 years old. We arrived a year ago after escaping the genocide and still have many family members who are being martyred daily or enduring starvation in Gaza.

My husband’s father was waiting in a hospital for an operation, and there were no medicines or materials available for the operation and he died in hospital. He left behind his wife, two daughters and a son still in Gaza. Two of his sons live in Egypt, including Saleem.

My father is still alive in Gaza, as well as two brothers, one of whom has 3 children and the other has 5 children, the youngest is only 2 months old and her mother is struggling to feed her as they are all going without food.

We are raising funds to send immediately to Gaza to help keep our families alive while the food prices are impossibly high and medicines and sanitation items are also scarce and expensive.

The cost to feed a family now in Gaza can be hundreds of dollars for a simple meal as aid is blocked and the little that comes through is resold for extortionate prices at the market.

We are also hoping to cover the cost of the children’s school fees for the year as they have just been able to register with a school in Egypt. This will be around $700 for the two children.

Saleem is also seeking to invest in a business in Cairo to help towards a greater sustainability for the family. He is aiming to raise funds enough to buy a car locally and begin a taxi business. It is difficult to find opportunities to work in Egypt and it is a struggle to cover the cost of daily life, let alone meet the needs for family in desperate conditions in Gaza. If Saleem is able to work and earn a proper income it will help to support many more people than feeding one individual family in Gaza for a day.

I have begun a project embroidering traditional Palestinian embroidery onto keffiyehs, bags and other items and I’m trying to invest in myself by studying English and selling my work, joining with other refugee women to provide social support and develop our skills. In Gaza my husband and I worked as lawyers and we are hardworking, creative and resourceful, seeking a way forward using the best of our abilities and keeping hope for the future.