Help My Friend and Her Family Evacuate from Gaza

Hello, my name is Bomy and I am based in Seattle in the U.S. I am a nurse practitioner by training and currently work in public health in international settings. In the summer of 2023, I went to the West Bank where I took a course through Harvard University. It was during this course that I met Habiba Masoud, a medical student from Gaza. Habiba and I have been good friends since. I am helping to raise funds for Habiba and her family to evacuate Gaza.

My friend, Habiba (aged 22), and her father, Emad, mother, Kamla, and three brothers, Islam (aged 23), Osama (aged 20) and Ameer (aged 16) used to live in the northern Gaza Strip, in the city of Jabalia near the border with Israel. As a result of being close to the border, she and her family had to flee on the first day of the war to a city in central Gaza and have since been displaced multiple times. Habiba's older brother, Islam, was able to escape to Cairo, Egypt, early in the war and is still there (pictured in the photo at the top, from left to right: Ameer, Emad, Kamla, Habiba, Osama and Islam).

Habiba and her family currently live in unspeakable conditions. They are in constant fear due to the incessant bombardments around them and have no access to basic necessities. There is extreme food insecurity and lack of access to clean water, no power to keep them warm nor enough gas to cook what little food is available. Her father, Emad, has advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has run out of the medications that control his condition (inhaled corticosteroids). This, combined with the thick plumes of smoke they frequently breathe in, has exacerbated his condition.

My friend and her family are just a normal family that want to live in peace and security. They have no political affiliations. Given the daily deteriorating situation and ongoing grief from the loss of friends and family members, Habiba tells me that the pain of living in Gaza right now is unbearable.

Habiba’s family would like to get on the list for the Rafah border crossing to leave Gaza as soon as possible. However, exit fees and travel expenses are unaffordable and the cost of basic necessities and living expenses in Gaza are exorbitantly high at the moment. As Habiba's father, who is a respected microbiologist and university professor, has not been able to work during the current war, the entire family has had no income in months. Once they get to Egypt, they are hoping to rebuild their lives. Habiba and her brothers want nothing more than to be able to continue their studies. Habiba and Islam are fifth and sixth year medical students, and her younger brothers, Osama and Ameer, are second year university and high school students, respectively.

We are hoping to raise $50,000, which would be used to cover:

• Travel costs and exit fees for Habiba and her four family members ($30,000)

• Living expenses for the time they remain in Gaza ($6000-7000)

• Costs to temporarily settle in Egypt ($12,000)

• GoFundMe transaction fees, which amount to 2.9% + $0.30 per donation (more info on this covered here)

The money will be sent to my friend and therefore directly reach her family. The first priority is for the family to have basic needs met for survival (e.g., access to shelter, food, water, medications and hygiene products) and the second is to secure a safe route to leave Gaza for Egypt. The cost is approximately $6,000 per person to get through the Rafah crossing (border of Gaza and Egypt).

All I want is for Habiba and her family to live. And for them to have the opportunity to start rebuilding their lives.

Thank you for taking the time to read their story and for your support and donation – it will make all the difference in the safety and health of my friend and her family.