You can give the gift of life and safety this festive season!

Dear All, Friends and Strangers, the Free People of the World,

I am reaching out on behalf of my siblings, Alaa and Nedal Abu Shammala, who are currently in Gaza, Palestine seeking your help for their safe evacuation to Egypt, to be reunited with their mam and brother, who lived in Egypt for 10 months and 3 years respectively.

Alaa, a 24-year old dentist, and Nedal, a 19-year-old college student have been enduring so much loss, pain, starvation, and lack of basic human needs for their daily activities for 78 days now, under heavy bombardments and shelling. Let alone the short-term and long-term results of this on their physical, emotional and mental health.

Alaa, who completed her 5-year degree in dentistry decided to take a one year leave of absence before she commences her practice year to take care of her mental health and deal with the trauma and scars that previous wars have imprinted on her. Exactly one week before the war on Gaza started on the 7th October, she embarked on her practice year, very excited to be officially putting what she learned into practice. This, and every other dream of hers, are gone now.

Nedal, who finished his first year in Computer Science with a first class honours, was appointed as the Head of the IT Society in his college at the beginning of his second year, less than a month before the war on Gaza. He was very proud of his latest achievement for facilitating Orientation Day for First Years who enrolled in the College of IT and Computer Science. He's such an inspiration, with so much creativity, energy, innovation, and positive vibes.

They both have so much to give to this world, and I cannot imagine a life without them. They, just as everybody else in Gaza and in the world, deserve to live, in safety, in dignity. However, this can only be achieved with your highly appreciated support. To safely cross the Egyptian border via a private Egyptian agency, they will need to pay €5500 each. This is, unfortunately, beyond our financial capabilities. Your donation, no matter how big or small, makes a difference, and we are extremely grateful for it. If you cannot donate, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. This means a lot to us.

The situation in Gaza is not getting any better. In fact, every day has been worse than the day before. The indiscriminate bombardment threatens their lives every second.

Before I close off, I wanted to mention a little bit about myself. I am Raghad, a full-time PhD candidate at UCD School of Education, and a part-time Programme Coordinator at UCD Quinn School of Business. I have been in Ireland for over 4 years during which I completed a Master's degree, worked as a research assistant, secured a job as a programme coordinator, and commenced my PhD studies. I have been an active, productive member of the Irish community since my arrival, and am proud, humbled and honoured to be part of this community which treated me with nothing but love, care, appreciation, respect, and dignity. In recent weeks, I have been living in constant fear and worry for my family back home. Ireland is my second home - I gave and continue to give her my all, even over the past 2 and a half months with such a heartache.

Your donations, thoughts, prayers, love, and care mean the world to us. So thanks a million.

With Love,

Raghad