Palestinian family in Gaza seeks refuge

My name is Dr. Marcy Newman and I am an American based in India. I'm raising funds for my student, Doha Hassan and her family who are based in Rafah, Gaza, Palestine. They will use these funds, which Khamis Dababish has generously agreed to collect for her, to pay the war profiteers extracting funds from people fleeing the Israeli assault. The money will be placed in their family's account in the US and he will transfer the funds to the necessary parties.

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Cost breakdown:

5 adults at $7,000 for each adult ($35,000)

2 children at $3,500 for each child ($7,000)

Fees for fundraiser ($3,000)

TOTAL: $45,000

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Dear Fellow Human Beings,

My name is Doha Hassan, and I want to live.

I’m a Palestinian college student from Rafah, the southern most border in Gaza. Over the past four months I’ve seen the Israeli bombardment on Gaza creep closer and closer to my home.

I am nineteen years old, and I have hopes; I have dreams. I am passionate about reading and learning; and I have so many plans for my life, many of which came to a halt when Israel destroyed my university where I studied English literature. My youngest sister, Dana, is in kindergarten, Leen is in sixth grade and Ameer is in high school. I and my sister Raghad are university students.

Due to the destruction of universities, including my own, I have fallen behind my peers in education. Despite being a second-year college student, I am determined to start afresh and apply for a scholarship abroad. But I also need to be reassured that my family is safe.

Instead of being able to study and enjoy my time with my family, we have found ourselves living in dire conditions imposed by Israel’s genocidal war. Daily airstrikes and bombings have persisted for over four months, depriving us of sleep and leaving us traumatized. This is in addition to having endured 17 years of a siege during which Israel has continued to block essential supplies including food, fuel, drinking water, medicine, and electricity. As resources dwindle, even the most basic necessities become scarce and we often endure long queues just to obtain flour from UNRWA, when it’s available. But since the United States began its campaign to abolish UNRWA even that has become impossible.

Our challenges intensified when my sister fell ill and we were unable to access proper medical care due to Israel’s obliteration of Gaza’s entire hospital infrastructure. Despite our struggles, we opened our doors to provide shelter for displaced friends and family in northern Gaza, sharing what little we had with them and remaining resilient in the face of adversity. There are currently 1.5 million such internally displaced Palestinians in Rafah.

After two months, resources in Gaza became more scarce, compelling us to manually grind wheat to make bread and ration our meals to make ends meet. The hunger crisis gripping Gaza worsened, leaving us sleepless at night as we have been enduring relentless airstrikes and bombings. With gas supplies depleted, we have resorted to cooking and baking bread using coal, exacerbating my father and sister’s respiratory issues.

Despite our resilience, the looming threat is on my family’s doorstep as a ground invasion of Rafah is imminent. We’re not sure which will get us first: Israel’s genocidal war or Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon against Palestinians in Gaza.

We have been hoping against hope that there would be a lasting ceasefire, but the urgency of our situation has compelled us to seek safety in Egypt.

Your generosity and support can make a huge difference in saving our lives. The only way out of Gaza is through the Rafah border, which requires a fee of $7,000 for each adult and $3,500 for each child. The total amount for my family to get out of Gaza is $45,000. My family consists of 5 adults and 2 children. The horror we are living through is unimaginable. The non-stop air strikes and bombings have changed our lives to a battle of everyday survival.

Every contribution, regardless of its size, will help ensure our safe journey out of Rafah towards a more secure place in Egypt. Your generosity will provide us with an opportunity to reconstruct our lives.

With gratitude,

Doha