Help Samah's Family evacuate

Update: Samah has been using her time to teach displaced children in Rafah English. Houseless, sleepless, sick with influenza and hepatitis, yet, never wavering in her commitment to help her people however she can. The Rafah invasion has begun. Please donate what you can. There is no where left to go.

Hi, my name is Trish in RVA and I am raising money to help evacuate Samah's family from Rafah into Egypt.

I have been connecting people with tents in Palestine when I was connected with Samah. Her only wish was for me to help her find a tent as she and her family had been displaced several times since her house was destroyed on the fourth day of the genocide. Samah wasn't looking for money or to be evacuated, she was selflessly looking for a tent that her relatives could live in. However, the situation in Rafah has intensified. Over the weeks Samah has become like a daughter to me. The only way to ensure her and her families safety is to evacuate into Egypt. I am desperately pleading for donations. Time is of the essence here. We are talking life and death. Samah is now ready to evacuate. This is a gut wrenching decision as Palestine is home and the fear of not being able to return is heartbreaking. Please donate what you can, even just the cost of a morning coffee, consider using that instead to save a life. The funds will be used completely for evacuation of her family into Egypt.

Here is Samah's plea:

My name is Samah Shalayl, a Palestinian from Gaza. I am a student in El Qou University, which I have attended for the past five months. I was supposed to graduate and begin my career, but the occupation and war has destroyed my goals and ruined my dreams. I am reaching out for urgent assistance to evacuate my family from Gaza to Egypt. My house was destroyed on the fourth day of the war. We were displaced to my sister’s house, but the bombing followed us, so we left again to Shak Radwan. Again, the occupation followed and used internationally banned phosphorus which caused me to suffer from angina and so we fled again this time to Rafah. Along the way was unimaginable destruction. The scenes were so unbearable I will never be able to get over it. Body parts are lying everywhere. Some people are sitting in shelters, others in tents and some of us have not found any place to stay yet. Necessities like, water, food, fuel and electricity have become scarce commodities. It takes hours to find internet connection to communicate with the world. We have faced bombing, extreme cold, many diseases and we cannot obtain adequate treatment due to lack of availability. Though we remain steadfast and strong, the situation here has reached a critical point. Staying in Rafah is no longer sustainable. Amidst the chaos, I am desperately trying to secure a safe passage for my family to Egypt where they can find temporary shelter and safety. The increasing danger and deprivation have made our lives a constant battle for survival. The only way out of Gaza right now is through the Rafah Border, which requires a fee of $7,000 per adult and $3,000 for each child. Each donation, no matter the size, will contribute to securing our safe passage out of Rafah and into Egypt. Your kindness gives us a chance to survive. To live. To begin our lives again and offer a renewed hope for the future. I humbly appeal to your empathy and kindness in aiding my family’s urgent evacuation. Your contributions will be the lifeline that enables them to escape the perilous conditions my family is currently enduring. I hope this appeal will be welcomed before the occupation comes by land to Rafah, then the crossing will be closed, and we will remain stuck here for what will be an inevitable death.