Hester Fox

Evacuation update: Mustafa is still trying to navigate the very convoluted and arbitrary system to register to evacuate. I have transferred him almost all the money, but we are still doing it slowly to avoid his account being flagged. In the mean time, there has been a sharp decrease in aid entering the strip, and famine is once again a very real fear. Since the grim anniversary of Oct 7, bombings have also increased, and in the past two weeks alone, the family have been subjected to two bombings that left them with smoke inhalation and severe psychological distress. I desperately want to write the update that everyone has been waiting for, that Mustafa and his mom have registered and are in the process of evacuating, but the reality is that it could- and probably will- take a while. In the meantime, they continued to need funds just to survive day-to-day and have enough to eat. Thank you for standing with them and all your support- it is their one hope.

Hi all, we are still in the process of trying to get Mustafa registered for evacuation. I can't give too many specifics, but the process is very wrought with corruption and requirements that change daily. In the mean time, we are still collecting money for their daily living expenses, as well as for his mother's evacuation fee. This has been a very, very violent few days. The family survived a bombing next to them, and they are suffering from smoke inhalation and the ongoing psychological effects. This morning, Mustafa sent me a video of another bombing across the street which was incredibly disturbing and graphic, and this is the kind of thing that they are subjected to daily. It is hard to talk around the censors or share graphic footage here, but it is very important to Mustafa that everyone knows that the violence is still ongoing, even if the news has moved on. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers, and please help ensure they have what they need to survive and hopefully get out as soon as possible. Thank you (first photo is from an article about the frequency of buildings collapsing, and the second image is a still from the video Mustafa sent)

Hello all, While I am in the process of transferring over the money to Mustafa (something we must do slowly and in batches so as not to risk his account being flagged as Palestinian accounts are subject to restrictions), we are trying to get his mother's evacuation fee raised. Psychologically, I think this will be a huge relief for them to know that they could leave together. Even just transferring the donations over to Mustafa has become something to look forward to, and feels like a concrete step to being able to leave. So, thank you so much to everyone for helping us get this far, and please continue to support them as you're able. It really means everything in a time and place with very little light.

EVACUATION UPDATE: Big news: thanks to you, Mustafa now has hope to actually evacuate very soon. I am in the process of transferring him over the donations (which we do slowly, because Palestinian accounts that receive any amount of money beyond $1000 are immediately frozen). Your generosity over the past months means that we have enough to cover his cost. Mustafa sends his gratitude and love. In the mean time, the family still needs daily living expenses. We have also started collecting donations for his mother to join him in evacuation. If you are able, please help with this so that mom can get out as soon as possible too. The other day a bombing in their village claimed the lives of several people including a small child. Life there is beyond anything we can comprehend. I can't tell you how much your support means to Mustafa and his family. We have real hope now that soon they will be able to get out and start a new life of peace and safety.