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<div>My name is Katherine Howton and I am fundraising for Mohammed Al Asttal and his family. I became Mohammed's host family when he came to the U.S. in 2014 and continued as his "family in the states" when he returned to attend the University of Oregon in 2016-2020.
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<div>Please take a moment to read his story.
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<div>My name is Mohammed Al Asttal. I am reaching out from Gaza where my family and I are caught in the chaos of war. I haven’t written a GoFundMe before as we were hoping to stay in Gaza and rebuild our lives. As every day passes with more destruction and deprivation, rebuilding and resuming our former lives is looking less likely. I am writing now on the cusp of another winter. I fear what another cold and rainy winter will bring for my elderly parents who have already withstood so much. With rumors of the Rafah border crossing opening, I must take this opportunity to leave with my parents for safety outside of Gaza.
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<div>My parents have always instilled in me and my four sisters a belief in the transformative power of education. My father is a retired political science professor at Al Azhar University. My mother is a retired UNRWA elementary school teacher.
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<div>In 2014, I was one of only 13 students to come to the U.S. for an exchange year at an American high school. In 2016, I returned to the U.S. and attended the University of Oregon. I obtained a degree in international studies. In 2021, I began graduate school in Ireland but had to return to Gaza for a medical emergency.
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<div>Last year I was still deciding if I should finish my education in Gaza where I could be near my aging parents or leave again to finish my education. Our lives were ordinary. Life in Gaza has become anything but ordinary. The recent escalation beginning on October 7, 2023, has shattered all our lives.
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<div>In December, we were given the order to evacuate our home in Khan Younis. We packed only the essentials. I remember the chaos of that day vividly: racing against time to gather our belongings, the loud explosions in the background, and the disbelief when we saw the devastation outside. We mistakenly believed we would be able to return but we have since found that everything we didn’t take in those chaotic hours is gone.
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<div>I have included a photo of our home and the date tree behind it before and after it's destruction. The arrows point to the unique architecture.
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<div>We have survived the best we can in Al Mawasi. We have a small family farm there and my father has opened the property to anyone who wants to set up a tent. My sisters with their families and in-laws have moved to the property as their houses have also been destroyed. We are surviving but every day is a struggle to find the necessities. We are surviving but every day we are under threat. We have suffered with Hepatitis A and other ailments, and I fear what sickness winter will bring.
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<div>This trauma has taken a toll on my mental health. I suffer from anxiety, panic attacks and PTSD. At times my panic attacks have been debilitating. These conditions have been exacerbated by the violence around us.
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<div>In the past, I could manage my mental health with medication. However, I can no longer find the support I need. My family has become my anchor of support and although I have found strength in our unity, I find myself sinking into a deep depression, struggling to function
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<div>My parents are doing the best they can, but I can see the worry, exhaustion and weariness on their gaunt faces. My mother has neuropathy which has made walking at times difficult for her. With a collapsing medical system in Gaza, we are always one step away from catastrophe.
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<div>Considering all of this, we have made the difficult decision to leave. The only path forward is to seek safety beyond Gaza. Your support will help us escape this ongoing nightmare, provide necessities for my three sisters and their families who have decided to remain, and allow me to access the medical treatment I desperately need. I will miss the gorgeous sunsets I have photographed while sitting on the beaches in Gaza. If you know me, you have probably been given one of these photos or have seen them on my social media. Like the thousands who have left before me, I will miss so many things of the life we had here. But the time to leave is now. With your help we can.
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<div>I share my story not just to ask for help, but to remind you that behind every statistic are real people—families like mine, vulnerable, resilient, and hoping for a safe future.
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<div>Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Your support means everything to us.
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<div>With all my heart,
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<div>Mohammed Al Asttal and Family
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Cadaxa Chapman Ball

Sienna Cleland

Catherine Bruemmer

Sarah Bywater

Anonymous

Alexander Shadle

Jan Reimers

Elaine Lawson

Tyler Corley

Elizabeth Ryan

Naomi Greenwald

Gina Tran

Nadia Peralta

Ruth Weinberg

Thomas Costa

Daniel Howton

Help Mohammed and His Family Find Safety

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

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npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

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