Help the Al-Astal family evacuate Gaza

Story

My name is Rifk Ebeid and I am a Palestinian American children’s book author. A couple of months before the genocide began, I had reached out to Hadeel Al-Astal, a talented young Palestinian artist from Gaza to collaborate on a new project. Her family has suffered unimaginable hardship and needs help to evacuate Gaza. Please read her harrowing story below and consider donating: From the heart of Gaza, amidst the war, conflict, famine, and Genocide we face, I am HADEEL AL ASTAL, I am an artist from Gaza, I'm a human who has dreams and an ambition, I aspire to live a dignified life, I aim to achieve my dreams and goals. Me and My family have endured an unfathomable tragedy, We are a family of 6 members, consisting of the mother, father, 4 daughters, experienced the hardship of displacement, forced to leave our home after being surrounded by tanks and snipers for days. We were slowly dying, trapped without the essentials for life. There was no water, no food, and no medicine, We could hear the sound of bullets and shells, waiting for our turn to face death. We lived through difficult days that the human mind can hardly imagine, We had to evacuate, with bullets raining down on us, miraculously escaping death. We left our home amidst the conflict and gunfire raining down on us. We ran through the streets not knowing the destination, we did not know what our fate and there was no specific place to go. However, we clung to life and sought to escape from death. We have lost everything, living daily in the cold under extremely difficult conditions. We can barely find anything to eat, My siblings' universities and schools were destroyed, so they won't be able to continue their education, We lost our jobs, Life has come to a halt for us; our fate is unknown. Our dreams have been extinguished, and our goals have been killed. I am here today to raise money for our family who is suffering in Gaza due to the devastating ongoing war, Your contributions can become a lifeline for my family, bringing a glimmer of light to my family Your support can make a lasting impact and be a symbol of solidarity in the face of adversity, and your support can be a guiding light that can push my family to seek better days and a brighter future. I hope you can extend a helping hand to the ALASTAL family during this unimaginably difficult time and standing in solidarity with us to navigate through these challenging circumstances. We are seeking to raise funds to be able to exit through the Egyptian Rafah crossing, as leaving at this challenging time is very costly. To be able to exit Rafah Border each family member has to pay $5K, all remaining cost will go towards covering any other living expenses. Kindly extend a helping hand to us, Providing assistance to us will enable us to leave and seek a place where we can settle, ensuring our safety, security, and basic human rights Thank you in advance for your kindness, You are our hope, and through your assistance, you will give us a glimmer of hope for life.