Emergency: Help Naman and his family in Gaza

Hello, I’m Rachael from Newcastle, England and I have set up this fundraiser with my friend Amy from Wellington, New Zealand for our friend Naman Abdalla in Gaza. We have both formed a friendship with Naman over the past few months and are in contact with him daily, communications permitting! We have collaborated on this campaign with Naman to help him support himself and his family.

The main goal of this fundraiser will be to facilitate the evacuation of Naman and his parents once the Rafah crossing reopens and to offer support to them once they have safely made it to Egypt. The cost of the evacuation fees changes from time to time but prior to the occupation closing Rafah crossing back in May the cost was estimated at £6-7,000 per person. Whilst we await the reopening of the crossing some of the funds, if needed, may be used to support Naman in providing for his families current daily needs - this might include buying food, vitamins and also repairs and improvements to their current living arrangements.

I, Rachael, will be responsible for withdrawing the proceeds of this fundraiser to my personal account and then transferring them on to Naman via PayPal with his close friend in Egypt. This means of getting funds to Naman has already worked for small donations that both myself and Amy have sent over the past few months.

Here is Naman’s story in his own words:

” Hello, my name is Naman. I am from Northern Gaza.

Since October we have been living a suffering that the human mind cannot imagine. I cannot describe how our lives are in the camps that have been set up in the south. Currently, my family and I live in Khan Younis. We have been displaced 8 times! We moved once from Gaza, three times in Deir Al-Balah and twice in Rafah and twice in Khan Yunis. Every time I moved, I saw death in all its forms. Each displacement takes an extreme psychological toll on my family and I and it exhausts us physically.

My family consists of six people including my elderly mother and father. My father is 62 years old. He has chronic diabetes, a problem with his left knee and he does not sleep or rest easily, the necessary treatment is not available to him. My mother is 60 years old, she suffers from cartilage in the second and fifth vertebrae in her spine. We do not have any way to provide relief for either of them.

As a family we all live in one room. The door is a piece of cloth, and the window is a piece of cloth also. During the winter we struggled with the severe cold in the tents, and now we are suffering from the extreme heat. There is no healthy food available to us and very little protein. We have reached the stage now where we are malnourished and lack energy. It takes us a long time to recover from regular bouts of sickness. Not only is the water that we drink of poor quality, but the occupation has targeted sanitations systems in Khan Yunis and we are now exposed to a buildup of manmade waste and human waste also in the area where we live. These conditions have led to the spread of diseases and are of great risk to us.

I am 24 years old, and I have many dreams. I am a parkour player and I have a dream to participate in one of the international parkour tournaments. In 2023 I worked and saved hard to travel and had paid for a visa to Turkey. Once visiting Turkey, I had planned to travel on to Europe and start my life abroad, but the war has prevented this from happening. Recently the visa that I had paid for expired, and I feel as though my dreams have been crushed.

This suffering is not new to my family and I. We have been suffering for 17 years, living in a prison the size of Gaza City. But how can we live under occupation for years? What prevents my family and I from living a decent life is the expense of travel. Prior to the border closing between Gaza and Egypt, the price to cross the border was £6,000 - 7,000 per person. This is an astronomical amount, but it is the price of life for each of us.

Please help my family and I to survive the deadly life that we live daily. Help me to realize my dreams and help my family to live in peace. Please look at us with mercy and help us”

We are all so grateful for the love and solidarity you are showing Naman and his family with your support. Thank you for putting your trust in us ♥️

You can follow Naman on Instagram Here to support him and stay updated on his current situation in Gaza.