Help spare Neda's family from a genocide

Update (2/29): Neda's two young cousins, Nour and Shams, were badly injured in an Israeli airstrike in Al Mawasi, a designated safe zone. We are hoping to raise enough funds to evacuate them for urgent medical care.

Shams, 16, has a broken pelvis and underwent surgery on a badly broken leg, without anesthesia. She needs a metal rod to stabilize her fracture. Right now, she has an ACE bandage and a wooden stick--there is no titanium in Gaza. She is at dire risk of infection and amputation, and we are urgently working to evacuate her for care.

Her sister, Nour, is 10. Her face was burned badly in the attack and her eyes were injured--we are hopeful to get her evacuated along with her sister to seek treatment with an opthamologist.

Both girls' bodies are covered in burns--doctors have said they've never seen anything like these wounds before the attacks, but they are consistent with chemical burns.

The goal amount of the fundraiser has been updated to reflect the cost of care, medicine, a wheelchair, and evacuation for Nour (presuming Shams' medical evacuation goes through soon--if it doesn't, we'll need to raise funds to evacuate her and her mother as well). Thank you all deeply for your care and support.

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As of Feb 24, 2024, Neda's family is still alive--but that fact becomes more precarious each day. For the past few months, Najlaa, Nadia, Ahmed and Ali have been living in a tent, in a makeshift camp, alongside other refugees in Gaza. A couple of nights ago, their camp was attacked and raided by Israeli forces.

Several of Neda's young cousins were badly injured. One lost her fingers. One young soul, Sally, went to Jannah after succumbing to a head wound she sustained during the attack. She was 10 years old. Neda is desperate to evacuate her family before it's too late.

Below is the original text of this fundraiser, written in early January. Since they have been unable to escape Gaza to safety since then, the costs have been updated to reflect the current cost of evacuation and travel.

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For months, the world has watched in horror as Israel’s genocide against Palestinians has been livestreamed on social media. Today, as the inhumanity continues, we hope to spare a beloved family even more pain, by evacuating them from Gaza to safety. This fundraiser is for my dear friend, Neda Al-abadlah, and her family. The words below are hers:

My name is Neda, and I am Palestinian. I was born and raised in Gaza. In 2021, I received an Atlas Corps fellowship and was able to move to Turkey, so that my children could grow up without the trauma I experienced, enduring multiple Israeli aggressions on Gaza in my lifetime.

I have worked for many years to support oppressed people and refugees—volunteering with the UN and UNDP, other charity organizations in Gaza, and as an admissions officer for Doctors Without Borders. I could never have expected that one day, when it would come to my own family, I would feel so powerless to help. I have written many stories about war, but this is the hardest one, because it’s the first time I feel helpless, which kills me deep inside. Today, I need your help to evacuate my mother and my 3 siblings from Gaza.

-My brother, Ali Al-abadlah (31) is an architect. He lost his job with the war. Ali is so calm. He loves football, and was planning to continue his study with a Master’s degree.

-My brother, Ahmed Al-abadlah (22), is a 3rd year IT student, but his school, Al Azhar University, was destroyed in the bombings. He is an extrovert—and used to invite his friends over for a meal or a warm drink each night.

-My sister, Nadia Al-abadlah (29) is a sensitive soul. She is an artist—a painter. She is so kind and calm, and loves to play classical music while she paints. She also loves children, and volunteers each summer to teach art to young kids.

-My mother, Najlaa Al-abadlah (54), is such a nurturing soul. She loves cats, and cared for many homeless cats in our neighborhood. She made special food for them, and they always came to her when they were hungry.

Since the beginning of the attacks on Gaza this October, Ali and Ahmed have been among the other Gazan men you’ve seen on social media, helping survivors reach beloveds under the rubble, and ushering injured community members to find care. One day after an attack, Ahmed even found himself collecting pieces of his friend’s body, so that he could be buried. Nadia has been suffering migraines and panic attacks from the constant attacks, and Najlaa, who has kidney disease, has been at risk of kidney failure due to limited and unclean drinking water. Neda has already lost 7 members of her family to bombings, including 4 young children, her cousins.

Neda’s home was destroyed in a bombing on December 10th. “This weighs heavily on our hearts,” says Neda. “It was not only a house—it’s our memories, our success and failure, the paintings we colored together with my sister Nadia, our certificates that mom used to hang on the wall with pride of our academic achievements, the dresses I made for my daughter when she was a baby so she could have them when she becomes a mom.” Neda, a writer, also left her diaries there, which he hoped to one day turn into a book. Along with the devastation of their home, Neda says, “our laugher, our safety, our refuge, and our hope lies in the rubble. Now our only hope is from the world to help save my family.”

My family now lives in a tent which sinks when it rains. As winter settles in, the weather is becoming cold, and there is very little to protect them from the elements. Nadia and Najlaa have been fasting for days because there is barely any food to eat, and the water is unclean. The situation in Gaza is getting worse day by day. If people don’t die from bombings, they are likely to die from diseases because of the unclean water, crowding of people, and lack of access to hygiene.

Before this war, Nadia and Najlaa were planning to surprise Neda on her birthday and come to Turkey, so they already have visas; they just need tickets to Turkey and some warm clothes for the trip. Because Gazans are not permitted to apply for a visit visa to Turkey from outside of Gaza (and since the war, applying for a visa from within Gaza is impossible), Ahmed and Ali’s only option is to secure a student visa to Cyprus, so they can apply for asylum in Greece. They need 2 visas, 2 tickets, and some clothes. Neda’s mom and sister will be able to stay with her in Istanbul for a few months, but unless the Turkish government makes an exception for Palestinian refugees, they will not be permitted to stay–and will need to show proof of departure.

Expenses (for Najlaa, Nadia, Ahmed, and Ali):

Total: $18,000

Estimated expenses for Nour + Shams:

Note: medical evacuations extremely difficult to secure in Gaza right now. We are working with a doctor to coordinate a medical evacuation for Shams. If that comes through, we'll only need to pay for evacuation for Nour. If not, we'll need to pay for evacuation for Shams and her mother as well.

Total: $6,000

A note from the organizer: My name is Adiel Suarez-Murias. I live and work in Washington, D.C., and I first met Neda in 2016, through an organization called We Are Not Numbers, which pairs writing mentors with young people in Gaza, to help them tell their stories. I am grateful every day that we were paired together—and that we’ve remained friends over the years. Neda’s warmth and care for the people around her is deeply felt, even from across the world. She is a beautiful writer, devoted mother, and radiant soul. I am humbled to be in her life, and to be able to support her family with this fundraiser.