Help Mahmoud & Rasmeyya survive Gaza's genocide

Hi, I'm Juliana and I live in London. I am fundraising for Mahmoud and Rasmeyya Radwan; here is their story, told by their daughter, Alaa Radwan, who is my friend.

I'd like to share with you the story of my elderly parents.

My grandparents lived in a beautiful small village called Najd before they were expelled by Israel in 1948; this is when we all acquired the "refugees" label. My dad, Mahmoud is 64 years old, and my Mom, Rasmeyya is 68. They got married 40 years ago and had six children, two daughters and four sons.

They built their lives from scratch, literally. My mom is a retired English teacher. She earned her BA in the English language in Egypt and got a contract in Saudi Arabia where my siblings and I, except the youngest, were born. They had to work so hard to provide for us. They saved money to build a house for us in Gaza in case we ever wanted to come back.

When the Gulf War began, my parents decided to return to Gaza. They built our family house and decorated it. But it was not only a "house." It was a warm home. It was our resort. My mom devoted all her life to nurturing us and encouraged us to be the best version of ourselves. She would teach us for hours, motivating us to get the highest marks in school and to pursue our dream careers.

My big brother holds a PhD and works as a researcher, my sister is a successful high school math teacher, my second brother is an amazing physics teacher, my third brother is a nurse, and my youngest brother is an elementary school teacher. As for me, I'm an ESL teacher at AMIDEAST, an American NGO.

My mom always used to say that her dream of watching us grow and glow in the Palestinian community has become a reality.

During previous Israeli wars on Gaza, my extended family lost loved ones and our family house was damaged twice, due to nearby airstrikes and bombardment.

In the current brutal war, like most Gazans, my parents also lost their home. It was destroyed last November (please see the video), and Israeli tanks in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza strip, also destroyed my father's beloved land.

My father used to grow apples, oranges, clementines, figs, pomelos, lemons, peaches, mint, and other fruits whose names I can't even remember. There were so many trees. I vividly recall how my father's heart grew with every inch of his trees. Those trees were his children. He loved his children so much, and this land was his solace whenever he felt down. They crushed his soul by killing those trees.

My dad used to run a water desalination plant before he had to sell it due to some debts. He suffers from a heart condition, diabetes, kidney failure, high blood pressure. He underwent open heart surgery many years ago. As a result of diabetes, he had three toes amputated before the war. (See photo below.) I'm also attaching his UNRWA medical book on which his medical records of his chronic diseases are kept. He doesn't get the proper medical care he needs because of the deteriorating health system.

Since October 13, when the Israeli army forced us to evacuate from the north to the south of the Gaza strip, my parents have been displaced five times so far and now shelter in a humble tent in Rafah, where a ground invasion is imminent. They are sleeping on thin mattresses on the sand, too cold on winter and too hot in summer and they share a decrepit bathroom with more than 30 people. (See photo of the tent below.) In addition to the dire conditions in the tent, my mom is often sick because poor nutrition is damaging her immunity system.

Please help me get my parents out of Gaza to give them a chance to get the medical care they deserve and to take a breath! My parents will never want to leave Gaza forever. They will come back as soon as the war is over. They want to spend the rest of their lives in their beloved homeland. This is their right.

The money that will be raised will go to my friend's Alaa's bank account and she will transfer the money to her parents through a local agency.

We need to raise $10,000 USD to get them out. Any contribution makes a difference. We will keep you updated!