Help Asmaa's family evacuate from Rafah (Gaza)

Hello, my name is Adèle, I am from France and I am fundraising on behalf of Asmaa to help evacuate her family from Gaza.

Asmaa is my Arabic teacher and I'm helping her fundrasing to save her family as she does not have access to Go Fund Me where she lives.

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“You ask if we are alive, yes, we are alive but dead inside. There was a lot of guns shooting, random rockets around and a lot of smoke”

“I am sick and each part of my body is painful, but I must bear the pain because there are no painkillers”

“Our father cried for the first time because he was unable to protect us”

“Luckily we survived, but with no hope for the future.”

(excerpts from voice messages sent to me by my family in Rafah after the attack on February 11th)

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My name is Asmaa, I was born and raised in the Gaza strip, in Khan-Younis. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to leave the open-air prison of Gaza and study communication science in Eskisehir, Turkey, after facing difficult situations and the loss of close friends during the previous war in Gaza.

All my family, apart from two siblings, had to stay in Gaza: my three sisters (Dana, Sanibel and Yalo), my brother Yazen, my father Mustafa, my mother Rawia and my grandma Fatima. They have all been facing unimaginable life conditions since last October. The situation has been getting worse every day, and their lives are constantly in danger. This has left me with no other choice than to ask for your support to help them evacuate from Gaza and get to safety.

Since the war started, my communication with my family has become like a miracle for me, due to internet and signal cuts. When a long time passes without communication with my family (sometimes weeks!) I sometimes faint, and my anxiety attacks increase. It becomes impossible to focus on my studies. I have been separated from my family for 8 years, since I was 19. Now, I live alone in foreign country with no one by my side and live with fear of losing my family every day. The only thing I hope for now is to save my family and to live with them in a safe place - and for this, I need your help.

My family are currently in Rafah, living in terrible conditions. My grandmother and sisters are sick, my grandmother has asthma. My little sister, who is only 12 years old, suffers from heavy panic attacks. Their situation is getting worse and worse.

When the Israeli forces announced that Khan-Younis was not a safe area anymore, and that it would be under attack, my family had to run away on very short notice. They left their whole life behind them: their house, their memories, the place they were calling home, even their cat. The worst is that they had to leave without medicine. Currently, they have no access to medical support.

They went to Rafah to run away from the attacks, but unfortunately, they ran from death to face another death there. The life conditions of the displaced people in Rafah are terrible. They have very little food and no resources, everything is expensive, and the humanitarian aids are not allowed to reach them.

On the night of Sunday, February 11th, the Israeli forces attacked the area where my family is staying, killing more than 100 people.That night was a nightmare for them. I tried to contact them once I heard the news, but I could not reach them. I thought for a second that I had lost them and cried alone the whole night. I even thought about killing myself, but in that moment I passed out and I woke up at 7 to my alarm sound.

Two days later, my father sent me a voice message from my sister who was saying:

“You ask if we are alive, yes, we are alive but dead inside, there was a lot of guns shooting, random rockets around and a lot of smoke, we were moving from place to another during that night to find a safe place, our grandma’s asthma was increasing, she could not move and walk, we had to leave her in the room and run. Our little sister Dana lost her control and started crying hysterically with screaming. I am sick and each part of my body is painful, but I must bear the pain because there are no painkillers. Our father cried for the first time because he was unable to protect us and he had to leave his mother behind. Luckily we survived, but with no hope for the future.”

It is only the beginning of the offensive in Rafah and their lives will be constantly in danger now. I have no one to help me but this is why I want to do everything that is in my power to try to get them out of this hell.

Rafah is the only way to leave the Gaza strip. The cost for each person without foreign passport is around 5 000$ per person. The amount I am collecting will be allocated in the following way:

I am aware that it is an ambitious target, and this is why every donation counts and can make a difference!

If the goal is not reached, we will use the money collected to evacuate the most vulnerable of my family members first. If we exceed the goal, the leftover money will be donated to another family in need to evacuate Gaza.

Please help me save my family from the horrors of the war and please be a hope for my family’s future by donating and sharing this campaign widely with your friends, colleagues, families and on your social media platforms ! Any help will be appreciated !

Thank you very much in advance.

Asmaa