Help Medhat’s Family from Gaza

Help a former Cazenovia High School student and his family apply for Humanitarian Parole after they evacuated Gaza.

As some of you may know, Medhat is a 17-year-old foreign exchange student from Gaza who stayed with my family last year in Cazenovia, NY and attended Cazenovia High School. Medhat was such a high-achieving student in Gaza that he was given the incredibly rare opportunity to leave on a cultural exchange program through the U.S. Department of State’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program. So few people are given permission by Israel to leave Gaza, so he considered himself very lucky. He had an amazing experience as a student in Caz: experiencing his first prom, going to New York City, eating a halal hotdog, and visiting the monuments in Washington, D.C. He returned home to Gaza in May 2023 at the end of his program and we hugged him goodbye, telling him to stay safe, keep in touch, and come back to visit one day.

Since the war broke out on October 7, 2023, Medhat’s home in northern Gaza was bombed not once but twice, and it has now been completely reduced to rubble. He lost everything he had, including the souvenirs he brought home with him from D.C. He lost his senior year of high school and some of his classmates are gone forever. On November 13, 2023, his two little cousins walked outside of their home to collect rainwater to drink. They were shot by an IDF sniper. When their father, Medhat’s uncle, attempted to bring their little bodies inside, he was killed, too.

Medhat’s family had to relocate multiple times to attempt to find safety. They soon realized that there were no “safe zones” anywhere in Gaza, and, around mid-December, a slight weight was lifted off our shoulders when Medhat told us that he, his mother Doaa, and his two younger sisters Meera and Jody were able to flee to Egypt. Their father, a doctor, still remains in Gaza treating the wounded.

Medhat, Doaa, Meera, and Jody are now living in Cairo, Egypt, paying for a small apartment solely with some money friends send or small amounts his father can send from time to time. They cannot work in Egypt, so finances are extremely tight. The children don’t have access to education as Palestinian refugees in Egypt and we’re all concerned that they have now missed out on almost an entire year of schooling. Their day-to-day lives are not sustainable nor are they safe. Palestinian refugees are not welcome in Egypt.

When our community heard about Medhat’s situation back in October, our ceasefire petition on his behalf garnered 381 signatures from friends near and far. Signatories included family members, peers, teachers, business-owners, and CNY residents who feared for Medhat’s safety and who called on their elected representative to support a ceasefire. Now, we are asking for the community’s assistance in helping this family come to the US on Humanitarian Parole for the urgent and extreme circumstances they are facing in Egypt. Like all people, his family deserves safety, food, water, education, and the opportunity to work and provide for one another. Ultimately, they deserve to return to some sense of normalcy after the trauma and heartache they’ve experienced. We are helping them to apply for Humanitarian Parole to enter the United States. The application costs $575 per person, totaling $2,300. This is not a guaranteed opportunity, but they are willing to apply through this process in hopes that their prayers are answered. Medhat’s aunt, who lives in New Jersey and is a US citizen, plans on supporting the family if their Humanitarian Parole applications are approved.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. If you know Medhat, you know how funny, sweet, and kind-hearted this boy is. We as a community can come together and show him and his family that they are cared for, loved, and deserving of a happy, dignified life.

7/18/24 UPDATE: We have some good news. Back in late April, we were informed by US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) that the expedite requests were approved for the family. This means they've approved our request to expedite the processing and adjudication, but does not guarantee approval and USCIS did not provide a timeline as to when a decision may be made.

In the meantime, Medhat has turned 18 years old and is currently studying for his online exams. But Medhat and his mother Doaa are still not authorized to work in Egypt due to their immigration status and yet every month the rent is due and groceries are needed to feed the four of them. Your donations at this point are critical, and are keeping a roof over their heads while we await a decision from USCIS. The situation in Gaza has gotten even worse since we started this fundraiser, and the United Nations estimates it will take at least 15 years to rebuild Gaza.

Let's help reunite Medhat, Doaa, Meera, and Joudi with their US citizen family in New Jersey! Donate and share the link with friends and family. Thank you so much.

5/5/24 UPDATE: For those who’ve been keeping up with our journey of getting our foreign exchange student, Medhat, and his family to the US, I wanted to provide an update. Since we last published the GoFundMe, Medhat’s father’s home was struck and reduced to rubble by Israeli airstrikes. Now both parents’ homes are gone and there is truly nowhere recognizable for them to return. Also since our last update, our Medhat has turned 18 years old and is now a young man who has carried a far heavier burden in his 18 years than I can ever put into words.

Thanks to the incredible donations by you all, all four Humanitarian Parole applications have been submitted and we are now awaiting a response from the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). We do not know how long this will take, and USCIS consistently reminds us that there is a huge influx of applicants for Humanitarian Parole at this time. (Almost seems like the US should then actively stop sending more military aid and weapons to countries who are creating refugee crises? But alas…)

While we await a decision on whether or not they can enter the US, please remember that Medhat’s mother, Doaa, remains the sole caretaker of her three children, all while she has ZERO income. Your donations are critical at this point, and are allowing Doaa to purchase food, medical supplies, and keep a roof over the heads of her and her three children. These donations will also allow Doaa to begin putting away money for airfare should we get the incredible news that their applications have been approved.

Remember that Doaa is not legally authorized to work in Egypt since they lack immigration status and that right now, there are no opportunities for the children to get access to formal education. This was an especially important school year for Medhat, as he would be deciding on which college to attend, if only the IDF had not blown up every single university in the Gaza Strip.

The support we’ve felt from this fundraiser has been so overwhelming, and yet more support is needed now than ever. I believe our loving community owes it to the family of this young man to help in their most sincere time of need. I believe we can do great things as a collective, and encourage all to share this post for as great a reach as possible.

UPDATE: We reached our initial goal of $2,300. Thank you to all who donated! BUT, this family is still struggling to afford rent, food, and basic medical necessities as they are not authorized to work in Egypt and have no way of providing for themselves. Please contribute in any way you can as this family is in legal limbo as we try to get them to the US!