Samir's Family Needs Your Help to Rebuild Their Lives

We urgently need your support to help our friend Samir and his family in Gaza. Samir almost lost his wife and newborn twins, who were only three days old at the time, after a neighboring house was bombed by Israel. They survived miraculously. Here is Samir’s story in his own words:

Hello, my name is Samir. I am seeking your help to evacuate my family from Gaza as quickly as possible after they were injured and miraculously survived an Israeli bombing. The situation in Gaza has become extremely dangerous and unbearable, and I urgently need to get my family to a safe location.

I am 36 years old and have been working as a human rights defender for about 13 years, advocating for victims throughout this war. My family includes my twin babies born during the war on November 27, 2023, my parents Atef (63 years old) and Siham (57 years old), my wife Aya (32 years old), and myself.

On October 13, 2023, we were displaced from our home in Gaza City to Rafah in response to Israeli evacuation orders. At that time, my wife was seven months pregnant after more than six years of trying to conceive. We were overjoyed when she gave birth to Majd and Mila in November.

Aya on the day she gave birth

However, just three days after their birth, on December 1, 2023, a nearby house was bombed. It was a traumatic experience as my wife and two children were injured. We managed to rescue them from the rubble, and by God’s grace, they survived.

The green arrow points to where Samir's house was bombed.

A screen shot taken from a news video of one of Samir's twins being cared for after being rescued from the under the rubble of the bombing.

Rubble of their home after the bombing 3 days after the twins were born.

A screen shot from a video taken of Samir and his father Atef holding his grandchild rescued from the rubble.

Following this, we had to move to another house in the area. Since then, my wife has been unable to care for our children due to a dislocated shoulder, other injuries, and a small shrapnel wound in her head. Essential supplies are scarce, posing a continuous threat to our family’s survival.

Baby Majd in the hospital.

Injuries on Samir's hand after the bombing and helping his family out of the rubble.

On May 11, 2024, following Israel’s orders to evacuate Rafah Governorate, we were displaced again to Deir al-Balah Governorate. Unfortunately, the conditions here are dire. We are living in a tent with no access to clean water, personal hygiene products, or nutritious food, and there are no nearby healthcare facilities. The high temperatures and the risk of epidemics and insect-borne diseases pose a constant threat to our baby twins.

We desperately need to evacuate our family, particularly our two baby twins who are extremely traumatized by the ongoing bombings. Our home in Gaza City was completely destroyed.

The challenges are overwhelming, and our resilience is depleted.

For the evacuation through the Rafah crossing, the costs are as follows:

$5,000 for each individual over 16 years old. We are four adults in this category (my wife, myself, my father, and my mother), totaling $20,000.

$2,500 for each child under 16 years old. We have two children in this category, totaling $5,000.

The total amount required is $25,000.

With this amount, we hope to save our family and evacuate to Egypt. I assure you that we will not seek further financial assistance once we leave Gaza. We were reluctant to ask for help, but the situation is desperate.

Thank the you from the bottom of my heart for any support you can provide. Your support will truly change and save our lives.

Natalia will be transferring funds to the family to cover the cost of their evacuation. Because the Rafah border is currently closed and the Egyptian Travel agency being used to evacuate people is not actively evacuating people at this time, we hope to have the funds readily available for when a small window of opportunity arises to pay for Samir's evacuation. Please reach out to Natalia for any questions and to discuss more ways to amplify this fundraiser. Thank you so much!