Help me and my family escape the Genocide in Gaza

Dear friends and caring strangers,

My name is Mahmoud. I’m 17 years old and I am currently facing one of the most horrific periods of my life. I recently graduated from high school in Gaza and was excited to start my journey at Alazhar University, majoring in computer science.

However, the ongoing and brutal war in Gaza has shattered my dreams and those of my family.

My family and I have been living in constant fear, and the Israeli military have forced us to flee my uncle’s home towards Rafah where we have no place to stay. It’s been three horrible months without adequate food or medicine, and our situation is desperate.

Our family consists of seven members, each battling their own fears and challenges:

1. My brother Mohammed studied at Alazhar for three years and is a renewable energy major. He dreamed of helping our community through energy development in the Gaza Strip. He has been diagnosed with severe anxiety and has been suffering panic attacks without access to the necessary medication given the current shortage in Gaza.

2. My youngest brother, Osama, is four years old, and he is terrified of the children who are being killed. He always tells me, “I don’t want my turn to come, I don’t want to die, they just kill kids like me,” which breaks my heart with my feeling that I can’t do anything. He also dreamed of going to first grade like a normal child, but he is now suffering with us with a lack of food, water, and the fear of death every day.

3. My sister Shahd recently started 9th grade for one month, and she told me that the day before this genocide began, she had never imagined it would be her last day to see her friends, teachers and her school. She has lost her dearest friend, Reem, and she cries every day for her loss.

Our father, currently in the UAE receiving medical treatment, is our only hope left. We plan to join him, first traveling to Egypt and then to the UAE, to escape the horrors we’ve faced and start rebuilding our lives.

The prices of leaving Gaza from Rafah border crossing has increased since the war started and costs $5000 per person. We are 7 family members so the total price is around 35k and we are not able to afford it

The funds raised through this GoFundMe will be transferred from my friend in Belgium directly to my father in the UAE. Every dollar counts and brings us closer to a semblance of normalcy and healing.

In this hour of need, we turn to you. Your compassion and contribution can change our lives and offer us a chance at a future we currently only dare to dream of.

Please donate whatever you can, share our story with your networks, and keep us in your thoughts.