My name is Elizabeth, I’m a resident of Seattle, Washington and I’m starting this GoFundMe on behalf of my dear friend Ahmad Awad and his family who are trapped in Gaza facing ongoing starvation and displacement from their home in Gaza City. The occupation is now rapidly invading and demolishing Gaza City and Ahmad’s family needs to urgently evacuate to the south. The purpose of this campaign is to raise funds for the cost of transportation to the south, supplies needed to build a tent and camp for them to live in, and the ongoing costs for survival. Ahmad deserves to live a life with dignity and be able to pursue his dreams. I hope you will help to keep him and his family alive. All funds received to this campaign are sent directly to Ahmad. Here is a statement from Ahmad:

I'm currently sitting in my room.

Counting my last days, preparing to leave all my old memories behind.

They're making life difficult for us, aiming to force us to go south, or face humiliation again.

I know how it feels to be far from home and my childhood memories, because I lived away from home in a tent for more than 17 months.

How can I leave my room and my toys again? How can I leave my desk, where I always sat, studying, persevering, and dreaming to achieve my goals?

How can I leave my bed and my ceiling and go live in a tent and sleep on the floor again?

They've succeeded in destroying all our dreams. They've succeeded in stealing our joy and happiness.

There's still hope, but leaving our homes again will make us lose hope of ever returning.

So how can I say goodbye to my home and my childhood memories?

Our house was filled with food, drink, goodness, and beautiful memories. Not like it is now... Yes, we were among the lucky ones. Our house is still there, but it bears the marks of bombing and bombs everywhere. Not a single wall is intact like it was before. The marks of bullets and bombs are everywhere. Living in a house with all this damage, with no windows or a door to lock ourselves in, is still easier and more merciful than going to live in tents again.

We are trapped in a nightmare. We see people dying everywhere. Like every family in Gaza, we have lost so many relatives, friends, and all the places we love. Everything is destroyed. And all we can do is wait for our suffering to end.

I can’t bear the thought of living in a tent again, it was so uncomfortable, humiliating and crowded, it is not living. But we can’t stay. Bombing and death is all around us, all day and all night. We want to leave, but we don’t have the means to travel yet. There is no gas in Gaza, so there are just a few cars taking people from north to south and it is so expensive. We need also to buy wood and tarps to build a new tent. While we are displaced again, we also keep starving to death. To have just one meal each day, we need at least $50 per day to feed our entire family. I am not asking for your help to gain a lot of money, I’m doing this to keep my family alive. Your donations save us every single day. It provides us with simple foods, water, and milk and pampers for my 2 year old brother.

Your support will directly help all six members of my family to stay alive. This is my family:

1. Nader, my father: An accountant and trader, well-known throughout Gaza.

2. Ashgan, my mother: A wonderful woman who dedicated her life to raising us and shaping us into men.

3. Me, Ahmad: A professional basketball player and student. I recently completed my law degree in English and took all of my exams on my phone when I could find internet connection.

4. Mohammed, my brother: He’s 20 years old and in his first year of university.

5. Kareem, my brother: He’s 13 years old and an amazing football player.

6. Kenan, my baby brother: He’s just two years old.

We just want to stay alive. We just want to live. We don’t want to die. We don’t want to be hungry anymore and want a safe place to sleep. Please support us and don’t leave us alone.