Hi, my name is Ian Garvey from the US and I’m raising funds to support my friend Raja Tayseer Saeed Abu Al-Laban, her husband Khalil Omar Saber, and their three children Ibrahim (12), Raghad (10), and Yamen (4) in Gaza.

For years, we have watched in horror as they endured unimaginable conditions. Now, with the ceasefire in place, a fragile window of opportunity may open. According to Israeli Army Radio, Gaza residents will be allowed to travel to Egypt via the Rafah crossing. My friend and her children are eagerly awaiting online registration to leave.

They have a plan, but they need our help to make it a reality.

Ibrahim, Khalil, Yamen, Raghad

Full Names of the Family Members:

Raja Tayseer Abu al-Laban

Khalil Omar Saber

Ibrahim Khalil Omar Saber (12)

Raghad Khalil Omar Saber (11)

Yamen Khalil Omar Saber (5)

Ibrahim, Yamen, Raghad sitting against the Rafah border wall

Ibrahim, Yamen (making a funny face), Raghad

Yamen, Raghad, and Ibrahim standing with the Rafah border in the background, with a child running up the hill behind them

Their Current Reality:

Her recent messages paint a devastating picture of their daily life:

Health Crisis: She writes, "I always suffer from asthma, colds and flu. I am always tired... I am now tired and feel very depressed... I have an unbearable headache, weakness and pain in the muscles of my entire body." She and her children are suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, sleep deprivation, and the effects of living with a constant "high alert" nervous system.

Financial Strangulation:

"Our purchases are made through a banking application, and there are goods that we cannot buy... that require cash." To get physical cash, they are forced to pay a devastating 50% interest fee to cash merchants.

No Life Left in Gaza: "Gaza has become unfit for living. There are no necessities of life."

Their Path to Safety and Recovery:

Their goal is simple: to leave Gaza as soon as the borders open and spend one to two months in Egypt. This period is not a vacation; it is essential for their physical and mental recovery. It will allow them to:

Where the Funds Will Go:

She has a brother in Egypt who can help them navigate this process. I’ll update this to have exact dollar amounts when I have more information, but the funds raised will be used for:

What They Experienced In Gaza

Unbearable loss: Raja's brother Mahmoud lost his two young sons Amr (8 months) and Anas (3 years), who were killed in a bombing. Mahmoud is still alive, but Raja tragically lost her other brother, Ahmed, and his 4-year-old daughter, Mira, in another bombing. These are not the only family members they’ve lost, but these ones in particular have left deep wounds in Raja’s heart.

Amr, 8 months old

Anas, 3-years-old

Mira, 4-years-old

Home Destroyed: Raja and Khalil got married in 2012. They rented an apartment and saved their money for 10 years to buy an apartment in 2022. They did not even get to live in it as proud owners for a full year: after 10 months, it was bombed and the building was completely destroyed.

Struggles for Basic Needs: Flour, once a very expensive item at the market, is now extremely rare to find. The family has mostly sustained themselves on bread they baked themselves and canned foods. People, including Raja and Khalil, have recently began depending on bakeries for bread. It gets so overcrowded that there’s been multiple incidents of people being trampled to death. This is a danger that Raja and Khalil face daily in order to keep themselves and their children from succumbing to starvation. Water scarcity is another situation with vast health issues like Hepatitis, which this family personally struggled with badly a few months ago. It’s getting colder every day now, and blankets and winter clothes are extremely hard to find and very expensive to buy.

Destruction of Healthcare Infrastructure and Widespread Illness, Disease: Gaza is facing a catastrophic health crisis as bombings, bulldozers, and blockade have decimated its healthcare system. Hospitals are overwhelmed, lacking essential medicines, equipment, and electricity to treat patients. Clean water is scarce, leading to widespread waterborne diseases like Hepatitis, while malnutrition and food shortages have left children especially vulnerable to severe health complications. Families like Raja’s have battled life-threatening sickness again and again and again. Without immediate intervention and access to humanitarian aid, the health disaster will continue to claim countless lives.

X-Ray of Yamen’s chest, for respiratory issues. He gets sick a lot

Hospital paperwork from when Raghad was extremely ill

Hospital paperwork from Al-Asqa Hospital

Inhumane Living Conditions: Tent supplies have been very expensive, between $600-$800 and are vulnerable to rains and the cold. It’s common for tents to be flooded by heavy rains, ruining peoples possessions in the process. Luckily, they are renting what is basically a storage container that’s been converted to a single room. It’s still very cold, but it’s safer from the rain. Getting all of your clothes, bedding, and personal items wet from floods and rain is extremely difficult for people in Gaza to handle physically and emotionally.

How You Can Help:

(1) The most obvious way: Donate!

Whether it’s $5 or $500, your donation matters and is essential to get this family to safety and help them start again.

If you literally only have $1 to share, please send me that dollar through CashApp at $rough0peace and put “Raja” in the notes.

If you can’t this paycheck, commit $1 or $5 your next paycheck.

(2) Follow Raja and Khalil on social media and like/comment/share their posts.

BlueSky

@rajaatayseir.bsky.social

@khalil0mer.bsky.social

TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@rajatayseir?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

https://www.tiktok.com/@sadlove197?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

You can also follow me on social media:

Tiktok: @rough0peace

Thank you!