Help Ahmed Masoud's Family in Gaza!

Hi All,

My name is Aileen Hiralal and I'm a Dutch citizen living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. My friend from Gaza is trying to raise funds for him and his family. The donation money will be used for basic necessities and living expenses such as food, water, medicine and the high rent of the small house. In addition, if it is possible and when the borders open again, the donation money will be used to help evacuate his family from Gaza. Due to his geographical location and restrictions from GoFundMe I am stepping in to help launch this campaign. All donations will go directly to Ahmed. Please support if you can, any amount, however small can bring him and his family to safety.

Below the story of Ahmed Massoud:

Hello world!

This is Ahmed speaking in front of your courteous presence, and this is a Gazan “me” as an epic story.

Once upon an October, a time when once turned to be forever, there was a very particular moment when I believed my life, our lives, would never be the same again. Little did I know that every single coming second would bear anything but joy and peace.

Here, in Rafah, from our fifth displacement, we barely have the luxury to choose which of those five displacements was less cruel, nor could we dare to whisper this word : home.

Five months ago, the narrative could have been so different. This graduation photograph below must tell a lot about that. The best about it is that it truly defines me in just three words: cheerful, ambitious, and a dreamer. Yet, war always has its way of stealing your light with a trice.

Luckily, I still remember my name: Ahmed Masoud (Instagram ) and 23 years of being a Gazan. A term which used to be a perfect synonym for siege, aggression, war, massacre, loss, pain, agony as well as death. The "death" that life here forces you look to in the eye.

I can also recall my profession, a law graduate and a dedicated human rights activist who is fed up with all these ridiculous lectures about humanity and has a million terrifying thoughts spinning in his mind.

As October approached, the catastrophic chapters of this story dramatically unfolded. It fills my heart with darkness every moment I open my phone gallery scrolling up to that promising life where I no longer belong. I used to work at Oxford, one of the leading English and training centers in Gaza, mixing commitment with pleasure to dream of a better future. Pursuing my education through a decent scholarship was always the ultimate goal I believed Oxford would secure. I started my "IELTS" preparation when the war knocked on my door with a massive "Hello"! Once Oxford was a target, my work as well as my dreams were shattered, leaving me without a heart and soul.

Yet, I can’t deny that I still consider myself lucky when I bear in mind my older brother's tragic loss. From the very beginning of the war, particularly on October 8th at 1:00 am, we were forced to leave, with empty hearts, our first displacement as Tarek's apartment was harshly annihilated. I can never forget his tears of bitter and deep grief especially when I lately figured out how much it meant to him. He told me that, regardless of his household goods, there was a special room left as a warehouse where he practically had lost his all investment as a newly respected merchant.

This war didn't forget to show her ugly face to the rest of my family as the latest horrible news and photos arrived. After its military operation in Al-Remal, Israel has completely burned out two apartments: one is the family home, while the second belongs to another brother, Mohammed.

The war has stolen much more than walls and doors, it has also deprived us of that sacred sense of being safe and peaceful. It left us with a pathetic feeling of loss and despair. During our exhaustive journeys between places that look like anything but home, we ended up with a poor tent where experiencing any simple daily life routine is a challenge. It takes hours to make bread and dozens of kilometers to find drinkable water. In simple words, life here is unbearable hell.

Why I'm fundraising?

This campaign is only meant to secure a temporary departure to Egypt to seek safety that since October the 7th and under all these relentless bombings, turned out to be a myth in Gaza.

Expenses cutdown:

Egypt fees: $60000: Travel cost for each one of my 12 family members (as $5000 for 1 person) to pay to the proper legal Egyptian authorities

Ahmed (Me 23 yo)

Ziad (father 57 yo)

Hanady (mother 50 yo)

Mohammed (brother 30 yo)

Haya (Mohammed's wife 25 yo)

Mila (Mohammed's daughter 1 yo)

Tarek (brother 28 yo)

Zahraa (Tarek's wife 22 yo)

Ziad (Tarek's son 1 yo)

Abd El-Wahhab (brother 21 yo)

Shady (brother 19 yo)

Omar (brother 14 yo)

On behalf of my family, words can't describe our appreciation for your compassion as well as generosity in making it here already.

For any questions please reach out through instagram or via the campaign!

Our gratitude,

Ahmed