Hello, my name is Fathiya Abuabdo but people usually call me Toha. I am from Gaza City, 38 years old and the mother of 4 children, Seham, Mosbah, Malek and Adam.

As a passionate professional in the beauty industry, I usually spend most of my time at our practice in the center of Gaza. The beauty center I was working with was considered one of the best in the whole of the Strip. During travels to Turkey and Egypt I gained further experience in the field.

My love for my job in the beauty industry helped me start a new life after I got divorced five years ago. My life was good: I was able to look after myself, my parents and my children.

However, over the past months, everything changed. We’ve lost everything. Our family home in the Remal neighborhood, in the heart of Gaza City, was destroyed, like most of the area. The practice was also destroyed. Besides losing all my personal belongings, including my laptop, I lost all equipment for my work. Nothing is left.

We evacuated to the south and have been in Deir Balah for 5 months now. There is nowhere safe, there is constant bombing and the sound of war drones. We are struggling to survive defying hunger and thirst.

After months of hoping things would get better and we can go back, we decided to do this campaign, as the only way forward now is to try and leave Gaza to a place of safety.

The funds I am collecting will allow me and my family to escape the disastrous conditions we are currently living under. My wish is to relocate my family to a safer place outside of Gaza and away from imminent danger. I thank you for standing with us and supporting us during these dark times.

If you have any questions about me or the campaign, feel free to reach out. Please see below a breakdown of the costs that will occur for the emergency evacuation to Egypt: