Help Mohammed Al-Maghrabi Protect & Save His Family in Gaza

LAST UPDATED: Oct 8, 2024. Scroll to the bottom (last section) to find updates.

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Hello, my name is Mohammed Al-Maghrabi and I'm a medical laboratory scientist from Gaza, Palestine, where I worked at Ibn al-Haytham Laboratories for Medical Analysis and volunteered at Al-Shifa Medical Hospital and the Blood Bank Association.

On March 27th 2024, I was the only member of my family to evacuate Gaza due to my medical student asylum status. I made it to Cairo, Egypt.

My mother, father, four sisters and two brothers are still under siege in Deir al Balah and Rafah - they're living in tents. Below, is my 6 year-old niece, Lareen (in Rafah with her mother Israa). Her leg was broken during an attack on Rafah; she's a little girl who endured the pain of two broken bones without painkillers, for days, and is without adequate medical treatment or the ability to walk in an emergency.

2022

Now

Here's my story:

After the genocide started, my laboratory was bombed. Days before our home in Gaza City was bombed, we fled to my sister’s house. While there we were targeted but we survived, and were rescued from under the rubble.

Afterwards my family and I slept in the streets for days, without blankets or food. As a result we were forced to flee, again; to the south of Gaza City, then to Al-Zawaida camp, then Al-Maghazi camp, and finally to Deir Al-Bala. It was in Deir Al-Bala that I received the news of my evacuation approval, and where I said goodbye to my family.

Every single day I wait to hear from them via text or phone call - to confirm that they're okay, that they're still alive. Every aspect of my family's life is under attack; they are in need of long-term support for food, water, clothes and warmth, and for some, medicine and medical treatment. Most importantly, they need to get out of Gaza.

Donated funds will be used to support:

Most urgently, my niece - Lareen, 6, whose leg was broken during an attack on Rafah.

My mother - Kamilia, 59, who has diabetes and is unable to walk. She needs special care and access to medications and daily insulin injections.

My father - Ahmed, 64, who returned to work as a nurse to support efforts in Al-Shifa Hospital, which was later destroyed.

My two brothers - Amjad, 31 (who also has a fundraiser for his wife and children), and Ibrahim, 29, who used to work for the New York Times newspaper as a journalist and translator.

My four sisters - Israa, 33 (Lareen's mother), Shorouq 30, Baraa, 21 and Hekmat, 20.

Anything raised over $50,000 will be used for life after their hopeful evacuation, when the Rafah crossing opens again:

This includes safe housing for my family in Cairo, medical treatments, medicine, food, and clothing.

After this, any remaining funds will be used to help me leave Egypt (where there is no economic opportunity, rights or future for us) and to accept my admittance to my medical graduate program in Poland.

Because of this genocide I've lost family, friends, my job and volunteer position, and my home. I've lost my dreams, ambitions, and passion for life. We are human beings like you. Just as sensitive and vulnerable as you. We are not numbers or news reports.

Please, if you can, be generous with your support. For us it is a matter of life or death.

With warmth & immense gratitude,

Mohammed Al-Maghrabi

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UPDATE: Oct 8th 2024

Directly from Mohammed:

"Salam everyone,

So quick update about my family inside Gaza they are all safe till this moment that I'm speaking to you. Israa she still in a tent and she really struggling with this whether and the raining and while it's raining the water crossed inside the tent and it was leaking on them, the tent can't keep them safe from the cold and the rain so we need to help her with blankets and jackets for her and her kids. Lareen, she is good nothing new about here leg.

My mom, until this moment, she can't do the operation for her eyes

And the rest of my family, the last days, the danger was so close to them, and they were really really suffering, but alhamdulillah, no one got injured. They are safe. Thanks to everyone "

UPDATE: July 23, 2024 > August 25, 2024 - updates were written by Mohammed, then edited, formatted and added to by the organizer.

[To each and every one who has donated, thank you - your support is Mohammed's family's only source of survival, now, and their only hope for evacuation later.]

From April 28 up until now, Mohammed has sent 5k to his family in Gaza to cover the astronomical costs of the most basic needs including food (if and when it's available), water, clothes, blankets, all that is lost when being displaced to yet another so-called "humanitarian zone", medicine and medical treatments for Lareen and Kamilia, a tent for Israa, her husband and Lareen and Kamilia, and the fees charged by the middle person who delivers the cash to Mohammed's family.

There's also a challenge, caused by the increasing and unsustainable costs of survival for Mohammed's family in Gaza while also hoping to maintain, over time, the funds needed for the future evacuation of his family. As of now, we're sending on average $1,700 to his family each month. We need your support!

[Ongoing] - Because of your donations, Lareen's leg is better. However, a doctor recently removed the cast from her leg and the bad news is that Lareen can no longer walk normally, or often, because she wasn't able to get the operation that she needed in order to heal correctly. There was no space for her in any hospital or medical tent. She will need an operation, when possible, in order to heal correctly and to be able to walk normally.

[Urgent] - They fled Rafah and have been living in the al-Mawasi camp in Khan Younes. Thanks to Allah, they just barely escaped death during the recent bombing of al-Mawasi. Now, Israa, her husband and Lareen are struggling to find food and clean water; there's no safe water to drink or sufficient food to eat.

With your donations, they were however able to locate and purchase a tent several weeks ago. Previously, all three had no shelter for a period of time.

[Urgent] - Alhamdulillah, because of your donations Mohammed was able to provide for her immediate medical needs. However, because she was not able to have ongoing visits with any doctor, her diabetes has led to cataracts in her eyes. After an emergency visit to the hospital, a doctor explained that Kamilia urgently needs an operation to remove the cataracts, and that without this operation she will continue to lose her eyesight.

[Ongoing] - Alhamdulillah, the rest of his family is still in Deir al-Balah, and as of today they are okay. Because of your donations and your support, they have been able to purchase food and meet their most essential needs.

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About the organizers:

Original organizer: Hello, my name is Chanaye. I'm from California. I'm a friend of Mohammed's, and I've created this fundraiser on behalf of him and his family. We've edited his story together, in person, in Cairo.

All funds are given directly to Mohammed in cash. When he's able to open another bank account, funds will be sent via bank transfer.

For any questions, requests for proof of transfer, or to connect directly with Mohammed, do not hesitate to send a message to Lauren, the new organizer of Mohammed's campaign.

Thank you.