Help my Friend Omar in Gaza.

My name is Karalyn Leviton and I am fundraising for my friend Omar Halawa. I reached out to him on Instagram, a few days after Oct. 7 happened. I wanted to know what was going on in Gaza and how he and his family were doing. Omar has been displaced, like many Palestinians, over and over and over again. He has lost many family members. He lost his best friend, Yassin, who was the closest person to him.

Omar's home and grocery store was bombed by the IOF. He has been shot at many times. He has undergone foot surgery to have shrapnel removed. He really needs more advanced surgery but that is not possible in Gaza. He needs to get to Egypt immediately to have surgery or else he could develop an infection and lose his leg.

The food situation is dire. Omar was already subsisting off fava beans and lentils but now him and his family are even lucky to get that. There is no bread, vegetables, fruit or meat. The prices are so high because no aid is coming into Gaza. Israel has blocked trucks. He can no longer get food from UN aid distribution sites. It is all controlled by the US and IDF now. Every time someone tries to get flour from the only aid site, they are shot at.

Please help Omar get some food for him and his family. Please give him an opportunity to get out of Gaza for medical treatment. I have been getting to know him for a long time and he is a good-hearted person who just wants to live a normal life like anyone else.

All money raised will be sent to Omars friend's Paypal account. He can then get it transferred to Gaza but there are many fees along the way. It seems everyone is trying to profit off this. It's truly disgusting.

Thank you so much.