Support Manal's Family's Journey to Safety

Laura Dean is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

UPDATE: Now that Israel has taken over the Rafah border crossing, evacuations like the one Manal was hoping for for her family have stopped. In the meantime, Manal, Khaled and their family have had to move, yet again, due to attacks on Eastern Rafah where they were sheltering in a tent. We have found a way to send money to her in Gaza and we will be sending her some in the coming days to help her family buy food and other essentials, the prices of which have skyrocketed in the last six months (a sack of flour now costs over $400). When the border opens again, she and her family still hope to make it to Egypt where they can start their lives anew. In the meantime, anything that you can spare would be deeply appreciated. Many thanks.

Khadija Shaheen, Age 13

My name is Laura Dean. I am an American journalist and I met Manal and Khaled Shaheen and their children when I worked in Gaza in 2014 and 2015. They were so warm and welcoming and generous and immediately made me feel like a member of the family. Here is their story:

What would you do if you only had 5 minutes to leave your house? Have you ever asked yourselves this question? We left our home 6 months ago carrying nothing but our souls. We took nothing with us, not even a bottle of water. We fled in terror from the horror of the Israeli army bombing, and minutes later, the Israeli army bombed our warm house, our life, and our comfort. My name is Manal Shaheen. I write on behalf of myself, my husband, Khaled Shaheen, and our children Osama, Tasnim, and Khadija. We lived in our new home for 3 years, which was full of warmth, love, joy, and beautiful memories. Now we have nothing here in Gaza. Our new home and our children's future have been destroyed. So we are forced to search for a better life for our children. After all this, we had to move to southern Gaza. I'm sure you can imagine how difficult this is with children. Our days and nights are filled with suffering. You have to wash your clothes by hand because there is no electricity, we stand in long lines to get water, we prepare bread over the fire, etc. For me, one of the hardest things is not being able to provide them with enough food; 6 months without healthy food, without fruits and vegetables, without medical care. We are tired of fleeing the bombing. What we need now is a safe and peaceful place to rebuild our lives. For this we must leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing, which costs between $5,000 and $8,000, for adults and $2,500 for children. I never imagined having to ask for such a thing, but I must, with all the pain, ask all of you to help me travel, so that I can protect my family and take them away from the events taking place in the Gaza Strip. We have lost everything, our home, our livelihood, our savings. Anything you can give will make a difference, no matter how small. Thank you so much for your help and solidarity.