Urgent: Help my family evacuate the war & rebuild their life

My name is Rasha and I am fundraising for my good friend Ronza’s family. This is her story.

My name is Ronza Abujayyab. I am a Palestinian refugee woman living with my husband, Akram, in São Paulo, Brazil. After living through 3 wars, we made the difficult choice to leave my family in Palestine to live in peace.

You can verify Ronza's Instagram at @ronzaabujayyab and TikTok at @ronzaabujayyab or @ronza.jayyab

As well as Lozan's Instagram (Ronza's sister in Gaza) at @lozanabuajayyab or TikTok at @ljayyab

Watch the interview of Ronza and Akram Abujayyab in Folha de São Paulo.

However, for 100+ days, the family I left behind has been under intense bombing. I’m gathering funds to evacuate seven (7) members of my family to Egypt, including my parents (Sameer and Nawal), siblings (Zuhdi, Lozan, Ahmed), grandmother (Refa), and cousin (Doaa). It can be expensive to leave a war zone at a time like this. We will need approximately $120,000 and a lot of prayers.

My hometown of Al-Zhra'a City was beautiful before.

But, our home was targeted in an airstrike on the 19th of October 2023 that left it unlivable, along with the entire neighborhood of Al-Zhra’a City.

When we returned to gather some items, we found that Israeli soldiers also looted our belongings.

Since that day, my family has been sleeping at my father’s office, in Rafah, which has become a shelter for displaced people, whose homes were also destroyed by airstrikes, but they have survived thus far.

I can't describe the sense of helplessness and fear that struck us after hearing what they've been through and are still enduring. Every minute, we fear losing them. Without connectivity, we can’t always reach them either.

At the time of writing this, already more than 23,000 civilians have been killed in Gaza. They have no electricity or fuel for three months, food is scarce, and the water is undrinkable. The only hope for my family is to evacuate to a safe place.

My husband and I have lost many friends, and many of our friends have lost their families. I fear losing my family. They are the light that guides me to complete my life. I can't live and exist without them.

Akram and I only wish to save our family life. and it has reached a point where evacuation is the only option. Unfortunately, the costs to evacuate through the Egyptian borders are exorbitant.

The expenses of travel for 7 people is $6,000 per person to leave Rafah crossing.

My family,

$10,000 travel expenses

$24,000 living expenses

$30,000 My grandmother's treatment and mother's surgery and medical treatment

$10,000 Mohamed and Sally's university education and living expenses

$4000 for bank transmission and GoFundMe fees.

We are requesting your help to raise $120,000 to get them out to a safe place and rebuild their life.

Once we have the funds deposited into the US bank account, it will be transferred to my father’s bank account, which we have been successful with in the past.

Your support would be greatly appreciated. Every donation, no matter how big or small, makes a difference in helping me save my family's life and enabling us to reunite once again.

I’ve written more about my family members, below, and have included pictures of their lives, so that the world can know about and help save them.

1. My father, Dr. Sameer Abujayyab. He is 59 years old. He is a doctor and chairman of the non-profit organization, Society of physically handicapped people since 1994.

He was afflicted with polio at the age of two, so he decided to become a specialized doctor in spinal cord injuries. He returned to palestine in 1992 and began his work as a doctor.

My father worked hard to improve this institution, Which provides services for people with physical disabilities, for over 30 years. The institution was destroyed once in the 2014 war, and it had been reconstructed.

You can verify the Society of physically handicapped people, where my father is working.

My father used to travel extensively due to his work and participation in international conferences. He authored a book on spinal cord and vertebral column injuries. And he always goes back to Palestine in his faith in serving those in need within his community.

Most recently, in December 2023, My father was doing his duty as a doctor to assist as much as possible in meeting the needs of individuals with physical disabilities. And providing treatment for them, but the medical supplies started running out at their medical institution.

On the evening of December 31, After five days of being unable to contact my family, my father managed to reach out to me despite the weak internet connection. My father's first words came like this:

“Sorry, sweetheart, we didn’t succeed in accessing the internet for the last few days. Your mom and I missed your voice. Since the last call, the ground incursions in the southern areas have intensified, along with heavy airstrikes. More houses are gone, and entire families are erased. New massacres. We are afraid of military orders for us to evacuate again. You know your grandmother can’t run away easily. I hope you and Akram are doing well! take care of each other and your brothers in Egypt.”

Dr. Sameer Abujayyab, Before October 7

My Father Sameer told me once when I caught a call with him a few weeks ago:

“As a doctor who worked for 30 years and now faces this war, In fact, the genocide, these thoughts weigh heavily on my mind. When I think about my old mother, my wife, my sons and daughters with me, and those who are studying outside, and my niece. Considering the potential ongoing challenges if we survive this, how could I not seek a place beyond this? How could I not wish to be in a location where we Palestinians can reconstruct our homes, revive our family connections and communities, and provide our children with an opportunity for life and dreams? ”

2. My Mom, Nawal (59) was waiting for us to return to home and meet together again in our house. This house that she helped my father to build block by block.

After the end of the tough night of October 20th and their displacement to Rafah, my mother said: “The weather was extremely cold at night, and we couldn't take our coats. Your father remained in his T-shirt. We left everything and didn't even have time to put on our shoes. You have two minutes to escape or die."

My mom diagnosed with tachycardia, but she couldn't complete her treatment.

my mom and dad in their home in Al-Zhra’a City, before October 7

3. My grandmother, Refa experienced displacement during the Palestinian Nakba in 1948. She was 11 years old. she lost her husband in Naksa in 1967. She raised her children alone.

Now she is 86, displaced, and becomes homeless again. Before October 7, she was strong, but now because of the current unbearable situation and difficulty finding good food, clean water, and her medication, her health has deteriorated. She suffers from chronic illnesses and starts to depend on a wheelchair for moving.

She left her house in agony, crying - I am worried that she can’t bear this severe situation.

Grandmother, Refa, in my family home's backyard, before October 7.

both (my mom and grandmother) face challenges accessing medical treatment due to the Gaza Strip's medication shortages.

She refuse leave without my family.

and we fear she may not be able to endure much longer.

My father and my grandmother started using a wheelchair for mobility after my father lost his car.

4. Ahmed, my youngest brother, is 22 years old. After graduating from University in 2022, he dreamed of building his own startup, and now his goal is just to survive.

My brother Ahmed, before October 7.

5. My siblings Zuhdi (27) and Lozan (26) are recently graduated Architectural Engineers. They work as freelancers, but they lost their laptops, work, and only managed to save themselves when Israeli airstrikes attacked Al-Zhra’a City. All their dreams and plans have gone up in smoke.

At the end of the tough night of October 20th and their displacement to Rafah, my sister Lozan said “I was so scared. I remembered all the belongings that I left behind and didn't have time to take. We all heard the sound of the airstrikes so loud and so close. We witnessed the light from each airstrike explosion. the sky was like raining airstrikes. Unbelievable. I thought I wouldn't make it to see you and Sally again. There were 31 airstrikes, one after the other, and I saw everyone around me crying for their destroyed homes. It was the worst night I've ever passed, my sister."

Lozan and Zuhdi, Gaza City, Before october 7.

6. My siblings, Mohammed and Sally, aged 23 and 22, are medical students in Egypt. They are pursuing their dream of becoming surgeons to benefit humanity, just like our father. However, since the beginning of the war, my father has been unable to cover their expenses due to the dire conditions my family has been living in Gaza for the past eight months.

Mohammed and Sally, Egypt, 2024

7. My cousin, Doaa (28) is a software engineer. She was working remotely for different companies. She is very smart and motivated; this war cost her a lot, her dreams, and her job. If they can make it to Egypt, they must begin rebuilding their lives from zero.

Doaa, Gaza City, before October 7

After 100 days of war, what my family has lived through becomes more unbelievable and unspeakable each day.

I, my father, and my mother in Egypt, 2019.