Help my friend's family get out of Gaza

My dear and exceptional friend Noor - a pseudonym as she prefers to stay anonymous- and I met back in high school. We bonded over our shared love for our cultures and firm belief in the power of speaking up for women’s empowerment and rights. After high school, Noor decided to pursue medical studies and was in her fifth year of medical school before October 7th.

We have been in touch during the past months as the situation in the Gaza Strip has gotten worse with every passing minute since October. She wrote to me whenever it was possible despite the constant cuts in telecommunication. Noor’s father has been receiving cancer treatment for over three years now, yet recently his medical status has been deteriorating with the absence of medical care there and destruction of cancer hospitals. I am launching this fundraiser to assist Noor and her family in reclaiming their basic rights to access health care and be safe.

Here is a testimony from Noor:

“The first day of the ongoing genocide in Gaza was the last day for my father’s chemotherapy treatment in preparation for his reductive surgeries which were supposed to be done in October. I remember how stressed I felt when I was detaching his chemotherapy diffuser pump as we were not able to reach the hospital due to the heavy bombardment in our area that day. 106 days have passed and we are barely capable of securing painkillers for him. Cancer Hospitals are leveled to the ground, along with every single other hospital in Gaza. Referral system for cancer patients has been stopped for over a month now. The only possible way to be able to leave the strip is through paying a fee of 10000 - 12000 dollars per person to cross. It shatters my heart that we were deprived of every right a human should have. I hate that I am forced to showcase my tragedy and convince the world of the value of my family’s lives in order to be granted an opportunity to survive. My parents spent their lives building a home for us that turned into dust in a blink of an eye. They taught us to be strong and resilient, yet I despise how helpless I feel as I see them suffer and in pain.”

"My father has been receiving different treatment regimens for his cancer since 2021 and was doing so by leaving to the West Bank after applying for a permit to see his doctor for each appointment, which could take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to be approved. For three years, I have seen him live through his pain just to help us be the people he has worked his life to raise. He never gave up to the pain or lost hope that he would be cured. I have seen him endure the worst of the situations, yet I have never seen him as tired and drained as he has been during the past three months."

“Every single one in Gaza has either lost a family member, lost a home or both. Food items are being sold for 10 times their original prices. Most people are not able to access drinkable water or edible food. This is not the life we worked for years to build. This is not our life. We lost literally everything. I cannot recognize my life anymore. My family currently stays with ten other families at a relatives house in Rafah. Despite the very limited amount of clean water and food, we are considered the lucky few who have a roof overhead ”

The money collected will be used to ensure the passage of the family across the Egyptian border and paying for Noor’s father’s oncological surgeries and treatment in Egypt.

Noor is an incredible and brilliant human being that I am honored to call my friend and sister. Please help support her and her family’s most basic human rights: their access to health and safety.