Help the Al-Habil Family Survive & Evacuate From Gaza

I am Melissa from the U.S. and I will be receiving funds on behalf of the Al-Habil family. Mohammed Al-Habil is both a colleague and close friend of my dear friend, Ahmed AbuAisha whose family I've known for close to ten years. Both Ahmed and Mohammed worked closely together in Gaza @ AISHA Association for the Protection of Women and Children. Here is Mohammed's story in his own words:

I'm Mohammed Saleem Ismail Al-Habil, age 26 and originally from Khan Younis. I'm fundraising for my family so we can evacuate from the Gaza Strip - once the Rafah Crossing reopens - and escape from this conflict that is tearing our souls and lives apart.

We are a family of nine adults [my father, my mother, five sisters, and my younger brother] and five children ages 6-13 and we are hoping to raise $32,000 to begin to cover the costs of evacuation and start a new life in a safer place. Monies raised will help cover housing, food and transportation for the first six months in addition to household items, clothing, medicine, and any other needs that may arise in our uncertain future.

Before this conflict, we were a close-knit, loving family living in peace and stability. I proudly graduated from the Islamic University with a degree in Business Administration and chose to dedicate my life to helping those in Gaza deprived of the most basic human rights. I worked for Aysha Association for the Protection of Women and Children up until our funding ran out and it became too dangerous to continue our work last year. My biggest dream was to travel abroad and join the Doha Institute in Qatar to continue my education and obtain a Master's degree, so that I could return and contribute to building a better future both for my family and Gaza as a whole. My father worked as a teacher at UNRWA and each member of my family had dreams and aspirations.

Instead, we all lost our jobs, and our lives were turned upside down. Our home was reduced to rubble and our memories scattered in the wind. Since October, we have been forced to evacuate more than 20 times. We currently rent a dilapidated house that is no better than living in a displacement tent. Rain pours through the roof and the wind whips through every corner. The rent is a struggle to meet every month and does not include basic services but we have no other choice with so many people displaced.

Every stone, every room, and every corner that held moments of our lives has disappeared, leaving behind an aching emptiness that reminds us that we have lost everything that once meant the world to us. This loss, along with the lives that are taken every day, is a wound that reminds us of the magnitude of the destruction and violence that the people of Gaza are enduring now.

The aid coming through the borders is scarce, and with millions of people struggling to secure a meal, what is available is expensive and beyond the reach of many. Those who have no money face severe hunger, and surviving for another day has become an all consuming challenge that drains body and spirit. Our hearts are very heavy with pain.

With great humility, I'm asking for your help so I may help my family. Your support not only eases our financial struggles but brings us some hope for the future. No contribution is too small and every donation makes a difference.

We also kindly ask you to share this campaign with others so that our story can reach those who may be able to help. On behalf of my family, I sincerely thank you for your time, attention, and generosity.

"Mohammed and the rest of the Al-Habil family ❤️"

*all funds raised will be transferred to my colleagues in Egypt via Western Union. From there we are able to safely transfer the money into the family's Bank of Palestine account where the donations will be used for immediate emergency needs and/or held for evacuation if the Rafah border reopens. If evacuation is impossible, funds will be put towards rebuilding the Al-Habil's home and life.