Support Abood's Journey to Healing Abroad

UPDATE: Dec 10, 2024:

Hello, Cosmo here.

The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, and Abood and his family are faced with new struggles everyday as the weather worsens and rain falls through the holes in their roof. Their tent is falling apart and their health is in steady decline. Many of Abood's family members suffer from chronic illness and all of them suffer from malnutrition. Their hope is starting to fade as the sounds of reconnaissance planes continue to hum overhead, the cacophonous sound of F-35 jets pass overhead, bombs can be heard thundering in the distance. Death is ever-present, seemingly inescapable.

Abood is still in unimaginable pain as his lower jaw is still a mess of fractured bones. He sends me photos of the bone fragments that come out of the open sores inside his mouth left by the Israeli sniper round. He has been resilient and stoic through this whole experience, but is beginning to fear time is running out for them all.

We cannot lose hope. Together, through collective action we have the power to save and change Abood's life for the better. We are so close to evacuating him to Egypt to undergo surgery on his multi-fractured lower jaw. With just several thousand more dollars we will get him across the border to his uncle, Bassam in Giza, Egypt. We can help ensure that his family has the supplies to survive until we have the necessary funds for evacuation. Now that we are more than halfway to our goal, I believe evacuation is within reach before anything catastrophic happens to Abood and his family if we act soon. I've given thousands of dollars to this cause over the months. Please, if you can, share this page with those who might be able to help. Anything and everything helps. Abood and I thank all who have supported him thus far from the bottom of our hearts. Every single donation, no matter how small, makes a difference- it brings us one step closer to salvation for my young friend trapped in Gaza.

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UPDATE: October 6, 2024:

Hello everyone, Cosmo here.

It's been one year since the war in Palestine resurged. Abood's situation remains dire, but we are 40% of the way to our goal of $15,000! Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed thus far. Every day we come one step closer to evacuating Abood safely out of Gaza to Egypt so he can undergo surgery for his fractured lower mandible.

I have begun the process of transferring the money in small secure portions via Western Union to Abood's uncle, Bassam in Egypt, so that he can directly assist Abood with the border crossing out of Gaza. Bassam is also able to transfer cash directly to Abood across the border. This is to say, once we secure the necessary funding, everything will be in place to evacuate Abood.

There is word spreading that the Rafah crossing will be open in the middle of October, allowing Gazan's passage into Egypt. The cost is assumed to be $5000 per adult (prior cost to travel via Hala tourism company) but there may also be alternative methods of transport. We simply don't know enough yet but, with that being said, we are hopeful that with a surge of donations we will be able to afford getting Abood safely across into Egypt during this upcoming opening of the Rafah crossing.

The situation for Abood and his family has grown more and more desperate as the bombardments in Gaza have grown more intense in recent weeks. Abood's jaw fractures give him daily agony and difficulty. Their family's makeshift shelter is falling apart as winter approaches. The skies darken, the air grows colder. Often at night we listen together on WhatsApp video chat as shells and rockets rain down from above, killing indiscriminately. The levels of uncertainty, scarcity, and danger are at an all-time high.

Abood still suffers from chronic pain in his jaw, each day is a struggle to maintain hope for eventual treatment. Please if you can, help us make this dream a reality. Share this campaign with your friends, share our stories and videos on Instagram and other social media. Together we can evacuate Abood to safety and to the much-needed medical assistance he has been seeking since January!

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Original story in Abood's words:

My name is Abdullah Al-Najjar (Abood for short) and I live in Gaza. I was injured during the January siege of Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis by a bullet wound to the jaw. I seek urgent treatment abroad due to the lack of medical capabilities in the Gaza Strip. The pain is so severe that everyday tasks such as speaking and eating cause me great pain, so great that it has caused me to faint at times. My family consists of my father, mother, and eight siblings. We are now living in a tent due to the destruction of Khan Younis. Daily life has become very difficult for us all.

I, Abood, was shot in the face, seriously fracturing my lower jaw in three places. This happened when we were besieged in the Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis. I was left to bleed for hours before doctors could reach me as we were under sniper fire. After my diagnosis, the doctors have told me that we do not have the necessary medical resources to treat the fractures in my jaw. They have told me that I need to go outside Gaza for medical treatment. I am urgently requesting your assistance in raising the necessary funds for me to travel abroad for medical treatment.

As a twenty year-old man, I was once a primary breadwinner for my family. It is very important for us that I can heal and continue to work to support our family during these difficult times. Due to my injuries I have been unable to work and am struggling with constant pain and discomfort. The pain is so severe it has caused me to faint multiple times.

Please consider donating so that I can treat my wound and eventually return to normal life, work, and provide for my family once again. We need to raise $15,000 to cover the $5,000 Rafah crossing fee into Egypt for 1 adult (Abood) and then $10,000 to cover treatment costs and living costs while I am in Egypt.

Due to the lack of resources in Gaza, I have asked my friend in New York City, Cosmo Alto, to run this campaign for me. He and I have become friends over Instagram and WhatsApp over the past several months since the war began. Cosmo works as an engineer in the field of electron microscopy. You can contact Cosmo through GoFundMe or on Instagram @altocosmo. You can also see my Instagram @abood_20r (old instagram @abood_anjr was taken down by meta...) to see more photos and stories from my life.

Cosmo is working with my brother, Hamada Al-Najjar (Instagram: @hamada_najjar) who lives in Hamburg, Germany, and my uncle, Bassam Al-Najjar in Giza, Egypt, to ensure 100% of the proceeds of this fundraiser go towards my travel and treatment costs. Thank you.