<div>I am a United States citizen creating this campaign on behalf of my friends Mahrah and Mahmoud Ibrahim Abdel Darwish in Gaza. Mahrah and Mahmoud are siblings doing their best every day to survive. Before October 7, 2023, Mahrah was an engineering student, and Mahmoud owned a commercial store, which was the family’s main source of income. Now, Mahrah’s studies are stalled, and Mahmoud’s store, like much of Gaza, is destroyed. They now are completely dependent on donations to access food, medication, and other life-saving resources for themselves and their parents. Mahrah and Mahmoud’s mother has lost 27 kilos already. Ibrahim Abdul Darwish, their father, is disabled with osteoporosis and high blood pressure, conditions made so much more severe with malnutrition and the traumatic stress of displacement and danger that they experience daily.

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<div>Currently, Israel is blocking food and aid from reaching Gaza. The Israeli government, while allied with the United States, has set up aid distribution sites through an organization cruelly titled the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. It is well known by now that any Palestinian person who approaches these sites risks being shot by Israeli soldiers. Local markets with heavily inflated prices are the only other place where Mahrah and Mahmoud can get food. According to a New York Times article, in these markets, a single kilo of onions, tomatoes, or potatoes could be $30 USD or more.

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<div>While Mahrah and Mahmoud are facing this desperate situation, in August 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to expand military forces in Gaza, saying he "has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas," This expansion will kill and displace countless Palestinians, many of whom are suffering from severe malnourishment at this point. On top of that, this military procedure is likely to further endanger the Israeli hostages that the government supposedly wants to protect and retrieve.

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<div>I want my friends Mahrah and Mahmoud, as well as all Palestinians, to be able to live with dignity and autonomy over their lives. Please donate to them to make this wish possible. Every bit counts.

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June Bendich

Anonymous

Willow Stephens

Margaret Mylin

Help Mahmoud's Family Secure Their Livelihood

Still $26,758 to go. Help us build momentum.