PLEASE HELP FAMILY IN GAZA SURVIVE GENOCIDE

Hello Kind Hearts,

I'm Dragonfly De La Luz of San Francisco, and my friend in Gaza desperately needs our help.

Hasan Abu is a soft-spoken 31-year-old who lives with his wife and 1-year-old baby in Nuseirat Refugee Camp. Having spent his entire life in Gaza, this is the third war he has lived through. Before this war started, he was a humble electrician studying to become an electrical engineer, who taught math and Arabic at night to make ends meet. (Nearly half the population was unemployed before the war).

He has a big heart and is endlessly devoted to his lovely wife and the beautiful baby boy they created in love. He is a civilian – he is not in any way affiliated with any political groups. He's just like any young husband trying to provide for his family, but against the greatest odds.

He is already a miracle – not only is he still alive, but he's one of the fortunate 15% who have not been displaced in this war. He is still in his own home (a tiny, rented apartment in a refugee camp that is so small there wasn't space to host his displaced parents and siblings, who are now taking cover in a shelter). Although his home was damaged when a bomb struck a nearby house in the middle of the night recently, shattering several windows and leaving him and his family quite shaken, fortunately, the home is still livable. Colder now (it is winter in Gaza), but still livable.

But that's not the only miracle at play. At a time when food is shockingly scarce (one gentleman I saw on the news said he and his large family had only a single tomato to split between them; another gentleman said he hadn't eaten in 10 days), Hasan still has access to food. But no money left to buy it with.

As we all know, the situation on the ground in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating. With 85% of the population now displaced, half of the people in Gaza are starving, according to UN aid officials. According to NPR, 9 out of 10 people in Gaza do not eat every day. UN workers say that the ones who are lucky enough to survive the bombs still face imminent death by starvation. And with starvation comes desperation: Aid workers say that Gaza is on the brink of absolute collapse. Not only is cooking oil difficult to come by (Hasan waited in line overnight to buy some during the temporary ceasefire and was still turned away because there was none left), but many people have resorted to burning garbage to cook over.

While it is true that there are no operating grocery stores and very few bakeries left in Gaza, some enterprising civilians managed to stockpile food and are now operating impromptu stores out of their homes. Some women are also baking and selling bread from their homes. But the cost of food (and clothes and all necessities) has skyrocketed since the beginning of the war, and even for those who are lucky enough to find any, buying food is simply out of reach for the majority of people in Gaza.

We have all seen the haunting images of this war, and I know we all feel powerless to help. This is our chance. This is our opportunity to make a tangible difference for one family as they navigate living in an endless waking nightmare. Please join me in showing Hasan that though it seems as if the whole world has abandoned them, *we have not.* Please join me in helping Hasan’s family survive.

The money raised (distributed via Western Union transfers direct to Hasan in Gaza, which has worked for us without issue over the past several weeks) will be used for the most basic, immediate needs:

Food

Water

Warm clothes and blankets (winter temps can reach freezing in Gaza)

Women's health products if/when available

Medicine if/when available

Helping neighboring families obtain these basic necessities as well

Hasan has a very generous heart and has been sharing the donations I've sent over the past few weeks with others in desperate need. Your gift will help not just Hasan, but neighbors and people close to him who are also struggling just to find food to feed their children.

Please join me in showing Hasan that there are individuals out there who truly care and want to help. He will be so touched to know that you care enough about a man you've never met to ensure his family doesn’t die of starvation during this catastrophic tragedy.

Thank you for your generous heart, and thank you for sharing this with your networks.

In gratitude and solidarity,

Dragonfly

P.S. If, heaven forbid, Hasan cannot or does not retrieve the funds from Western Union for whatever reason, all funds will be redistributed to the contributor. So, give with confidence.