Support Osama and his family in Egypt and Dad Samir in Rafah

Hi, I am Laura Guzman, from San Leandro, California.

I am reaching out to my friends and allies to share the story of Osama Samir Abu Khater, a Palestinian friend I had the privilege to e-meet last year going through a hundredth of IG stories coming from Gaza. I was captivated by his beautiful postings and reels before Gaza's devastating mass destruction, ensued by Israeli bombardments across the strip after October 7th. We became friends and learned of his story.

Osama is a 27-year-old Gazan, the proud child of two schoolteachers in a family of six siblings. He studied multimedia technology and was a high honor student about to begin his professional career while working at a car dealership, until the October 7th assault of Gaza. Osama, like so many across Gaza, lost it all, and so did his family.

His family properties were all demolished by Israeli bombings. Their main three-story house where the Abu Khater lived, including a small shop, were destroyed, along with other two smaller family spaces. Osama and his parents were displaced from Gaza City to Khan Younis, moving from house to house, until they ended up in Rafah, sleeping on the back of a store, close to the Egyptian border.

Osama finally transitioned out of Gaza to Cairo, Egypt, just over a week ago, to join in with his three siblings, Abeer (30), and the two youngest, Nagham (18) and Mira (14), who are living in Cairo with their oldest brother, Ahmed (34), an Economics graduate student doing his best to support his siblings. His Dad Samir and his mother Sanaa are still in Rafah, in the middle of continued bombing and killings of civilians, increased famine, and the threat of a full invasion into Rafah. The children cannot wait to reunify with dad and mom and bring them into safety.

Osama and the family need immediate economic support as they have no financial means and your generous donation is a lifeline that can help preserve their lives, secure a fresh start, and help them build a stable future. They are both seeking your support to overcome challenges and escape imminent danger.

Crossing the Rafah border requires $5,000 per person. Osama used all of his savings ($15,000) to help cross Nagham, Mira and himself to Egypt . Right now, Osama and his siblings needs to raise at least $5,000 in funds so they can rent a larger house (put a down payment for $2,000 and pay a monthly rent of $200 x 5 months = $1,000, and $2,000 to buy furniture, bedding, houseware, and clothing for the next few months along other basic needs, and an additional $12,000 to support his dad and mom make the crossing to safety from Rafah to Egypt. Another $13,000 will support mom and dad and his young siblings in their first six months in Cairo. Egypt does not offer refugee status or any financial assistance to Palestinians who escaped from the Gaza war.

Your donation, no matter how small or big, will make a significant difference to this beautiful family. They sincerely appreciate the compassion and undying support our communities in the United States have shown towards Palestine and its people. They ask you to give them a chance to find and afford a quiet and safe place to reside and some safety net during this tough times and difficult transition, so they may plan for a better future.

I am in close contact with Osama and his family and will be sending donations to Cairo via MoneyGram.

Deep gratitude/Mil gracias for donating to this GoFund account. May our generosity multiply by thousands to benefit this family and everyone impacted in Gaza. Inshallah!