Desperate Plea: Help my family evacuate Gaza war!

"Desperate Plea: Navigating the Ruins of Our Once Perfect Life"

My name is Amer Almashharawi, and I find myself in a strange situation writing this and asking for your help.

There are 8 members in my family, plus my fiance Rola Abo-bakra, who I got engaged to 11 months ago. We were all leading a perfect life. We had a house with a beach view, and we were all actively pursuing our personal goals and endeavors. My parents were heavily involved in their work, my siblings were dedicated to their studies.

Together, we were building our future step by step, filled with hope and love. My wedding was due to take place in April 2024 and we were busy organizing the wedding, planning to build a house and buy a car, ready for our new, married life.

However everything changed on the 7th of October. Within days of the tragedy we were forced to flee our home with nothing but the clothes on our backs. We sought refuge in the south of Gaza, where we spent approximately 70 days at Al-Maghazi Camp. Every night we slept in a room without a roof, listening to the sounds of explosions, seeing fire flames and smoke plumes rise into the sky that eventually turned gray, with warplanes and drones flying above our heads.

Then, on the 11th of November we received devastating news about our family businesses. Our main warehouse in Gaza was bombed and completely burned, along with three of our family cars.

Our place at "Al-Maghazi Camp" after they destroyed it:

We rented a house in Deir al-Balah that was supposed to be as a safe place to go, and where we stayed for 2 weeks before being forced to escape with our lives for the third time, but this time without any warning or any place to go. We headed to Rafah in the middle of the night, a night that was full of fear and terror. We ended up living in a tent where we suffer from the cold nights, lack of food and clean water. We have been exposed to disease due to poor sanitation and faced with very high prices of necessities.

All through this time, all we wished for was that the suffering would end and we could go back to our home - until we saw a video of our neighborhood completely bombed and destroyed. Our home was partially destroyed and along with it everything we owned - our clothes, furniture, devices, and even worse, all our memories. We had nowhere to return to.

The last few months have been full of fear, evacuation and the death of most of our family and friends. Not to mention the destruction of our homes, the loss of hope, and the complete demolition of any happy memory we ever had.

Never did we think our beautiful future would become this nightmare of a reality. We are a proud people who are now trying to survive the most horrific of circumstances.

Asking for help is not easy at all, but we are left with no choice than to turn to you and ask you to assist us in escaping this horror. Your support could mean the difference between life and death for my family, especially with the threat of Rafah being under heavy attack, the only safe place left.

We are deeply grateful for any assistance you can provide my family, and we thank you for your kindness and generosity in our time of need.

Below is a little more information about my family, so that you can better understand everyone you are helping with your kind donations:

Starting from the left in our family photo is my brother Yousef, who was studying IT before the universities got destroyed. My sister Sama next to him is still in middle school.

Next is my brother Sami, a 5th year medical student at the Al Azhar university, which got bombed and burned to ashes. He spends his time helping people in the area we live in now in Rafah, unsure of whether he will ever be able to complete his dream of being a doctor. To be honest we have all forgotten our dreams. All we want now is just to survive this war.

My father Jawad works in trade, importing goods from China. He is a person who is loved by everyone, whether in Gaza or China, for his honesty and sincerity in his work. Next to him is my mother Hanadi. She takes of everyone at home, she is the best.

My fiancé Rola graduated in 2023 as a biomedical engineer, and I studied Chinese language and mechatronic engineering in China. I was also helping my father with his business.

Next to me is my sister Nagham, a 2nd year engineering student. She was in her first year studying IT at Al Azhar university, but both her and Sami now find themselves stuck with no way of completing their education, as a result of the complete destruction of their universities.

Finally, my sister Leen, the youngest of the family, who is still in school.

Purpose of this Fundraising Campaign:

I am initiating this fundraising campaign to evacuate my family through the Rafah/Egypt crossing, which currently requires $7000 per person. This is our only chance to survive and I humbly seek your assistance now more than ever.

Below is a comprehensive breakdown of the expenses to evacuate the 9 of us, provided for transparency and understanding:

* Passport fees: $135 per person.

* Minimum living costs: $4,000 per month.

* Rafah/Egypt crossing: $7000 per person.

* Transaction fee of 2.9% + £0.25 deducted automatically from each donation. This adds a minimum of $4000 just for the Gofundme fees.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my family, and thank you again for any support you can give us during this horrific nightmare.

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