<div><em>Hello, my name is Omar Félix Cervantes, and I’m writing to you from Mexico.</em>
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<div>First of all, thank you for being here and taking the time to read this. Just by doing so, you’re already making a difference. <strong>Thank you for opening your heart to help others in need</strong>.
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<div>I’ve created this campaign to raise funds for Ali Rawhi Dwedar, a kind and hardworking man who dreams of a brighter future for himself and his family. His story is one of resilience, love, and unwavering faith in the face of unimaginable hardship.
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<div>Rather than speaking for him, I’d like to let Ali share his story in <em>his own words</em> — <strong>a story that deserves to be heard</strong>:
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<div>"My name is Ali, I am 36 years old, and I hold a bachelor's degree in sociology and social work.
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<div>I have also completed numerous human development courses and possess extensive experience in the hospitality, restaurant, and French service industries.
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<div>I was born and raised in Gaza, specifically in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
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<div>I am married with children, and I have done my duty by working to help displaced people both inside and outside shelters, protecting children and women from violence resulting from crises, assisting the elderly and people with disabilities, and providing psychosocial support sessions. I have not been a formal employee until now. My temporary employment contract with UNRWA ended in May 2024, and <strong>I currently have no income.</strong>
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<div>Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, I woke up to the sound of powerful explosions and heavy shelling that affected almost everything.<strong> I rushed to save my family</strong> and escape from our home to a relative's house, as the massive bombs continued to fall on the houses in our neighborhood, destroying all traces of my birthplace and the place of my childhood.
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<div>I was then forced to flee to a place very close to the seashore in the bitter cold.
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<div>We then moved from central Gaza to southern Gaza, to the city of Rafah.
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<div><em>I received news of the deaths of more than 25 members of my family</em>, most of them children and women, and I felt immense grief.
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<div>While we were in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, my family and I lived in a tent with <strong>more than 10 people</strong> due to the forced displacement. We received some aid with great difficulty, but it was not enough. There were no medical services, no electricity or lighting, not even a way to charge my mobile phone.
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<div>I had no work or money. I felt ill, as did my mother, my pregnant sister, and some of the children, also due to the harsh weather for three weeks.
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<div>Amidst the ongoing bombardment of all areas of Gaza, we received news that the occupation forces intended to attack Rafah. They did indeed launch a fierce attack on the city, <strong>forcing us to flee once again</strong> from Rafah to the eastern part of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
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<div>Then, they attacked the Nuseirat camp again, and we <strong>were displaced once more</strong>, this time from eastern Nuseirat to western Nuseirat, where we slept in a tent under heavy shelling and the terrifying sounds of explosions day and night.
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<div>Every morning, we struggled to obtain drinking water and water for personal use, but it was extremely difficult. We relied on groundwater wells, which were also unsuitable for personal use due to their high salinity level, a consequence of their proximity to the sea.
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<div>Our lives became a living hell, but we had to <em>remain strong and patient</em> despite the pain, loss, post-traumatic stress, and lack of food.
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<div>We were reduced to <strong>eating only once a day</strong>. I lost over 15 kilograms, and <em>the children's suffering was heartbreaking</em>. They didn't understand the meaning of war and the constant hunger.
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<div>Yes, we faced certain death every day, and my family and I narrowly escaped death more than once due to the relentless bombardment.
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<div><em>We are dying every moment.</em>
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<div>I truly imagine myself being targeted <strong>at any moment</strong>, and that's a deadly feeling.
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<div>Before October 7th, I worked in a restaurant to support my family. I spent long hours working, sometimes up to 15 hours a day. I loved working in the hotel and restaurant industry. I used to welcome most people, even those from outside Gaza, and occasionally French, European, American, and other diplomats from around the world, providing them with excellent service.
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<div>However, with the start of this war in Gaza, and after October 7th, the area where the restaurant was located—the Gaza beachfront—was occupied. Tragically, the restaurant was completely destroyed, leaving no trace, by the intense bombing.
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<div>I suffered many severe traumas, and I'm still trying to get back on my feet and work hard to maintain my mental health. But <strong>I have no job opportunities and no source of income</strong>, despite holding more than 20 professional and practical certificates in various fields. I haven't stopped applying for jobs, but to no avail.
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<div><strong>My message to the world is: Stop the war in Gaza. </strong>
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<div>We love peace and are advocates for peace, yet we are dying.
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<div>Furthermore, I love helping people, and many ask me for assistance, but I have no resources or money to provide for them. Despite the ceasefire agreement, I say the fighting hasn't stopped, there is no social security or food security, and the only crossing into Gaza, the Rafah crossing, remains closed and occupied.
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<div><em>Finally, in conclusion.</em>
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<div><strong>I implore you to support me</strong> and help me achieve my goal of obtaining food and the essential daily necessities for my family, as well as repairing my tent and our destroyed home, where I spent my childhood.
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<div><em>For the future,</em> I am considering opening a small restaurant where I can help the homeless using my culinary skills, provide psychological support to children, offer incentives to orphans and those who have lost their families entirely, and assist women who are heads of households.
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<div><em>Please support me and help me achieve my dream of a dignified life, at least a life of </em><strong><em>dignity</em></strong><em>.</em>
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<div>Finally, <em>I trust that you are the free world that loves humanity and peace</em>, hates wars and the killing of more Palestinians, and upholds the principle of humanitarian aid that promotes goodwill, establishes a culture of humanity, and eradicates hatred.
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<div><strong>I love you from the bottom of my heart, and thank you</strong>."
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<div>All donations will go directly to Ali (in accordance and compliance with GoFundMe’s Terms of Service).
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Stand with Ali: A Father, Social Worker, and Survivor.

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