Help Us Save the Ayoub Family‘s Lives

Hi, my name is Huda Shaikh, and I'm trying to raise money to help my family of 28. Keep in mind that 17 of them are just children and infants stuck in Gaza.

This situation is so devastating and is getting worse by the second. Every second that passes by reduces their chance of survival. Time is of the essence; luckily, we are still able to communicate with them, but only to hear their struggle to survive. Threats are coming in all directions. They sleep, not knowing if they are going to wake up. They wake up, not knowing if they are going to have anything to eat or drink. Their options are running out, and my parents have tried everything they can to help them. They communicated with US embassy officials and met with government officials, including congressmen, only to hear the same answer: there was nothing they could do to help with the situation. It all comes down to this one and only option, which is to pay a large amount of money to border officials that guarantees my family’s departure from the war zone in Gaza to safety in Egypt. I wish we were rich enough to afford the amount of money required to save them all; unfortunately, we are not that privileged, and that is why I am reaching out to all of you out there who are capable and care enough to help save the innocent lives of my family.

They were forced to evacuate their home, which got bombed soon after they evacuated. That’s where their journey and struggle for survival began. They stayed at the “Al-Shiffa hospital,” thinking a hospital would be a safe zone, which turned out to not be the case. They were forced to leave the hospital on foot and walk for hours towards the southern region of Gaza. I cannot imagine how hard that was for my grandmother and grandfather, who are old and have medical conditions, or the many innocent children of my family walking on foot for that long, harsh walk in the open while seeing all the dead bodies lying on the streets. It must have been devastating for the children to see all the bodies of other people and children that traveled the same route to safety but did not make it because of the continued bombing along that route, which supposedly was a “safe route.” I’m sure they were wondering if they would be next. Luckily, they survived that walk. They all stayed together at a shelter in the Khanunis industry area for a few weeks, enduring very limited food and water sources as tanks surrounded the area, bombing two nearby buildings and started fires). We were informed for the third time that they were forced to leave that shelter, but this time there was nowhere to go. Becoming an easy open target for indirect bullets, bombs, and missals, the only thing isolating them from all of this is a tent they managed to get and set up on the coast of Rafah. One can only imagine the fear and struggle that occupy every minute of their day. I cannot describe to you the sadness and frustration that me and my family are going through due to the fact that there is nothing within our power that we can do to help save them other than our prayers and hope that we can gather the necessary funds to save them from death solely because they were born and reside in Gaza.

The only chance of survival they have is to pay a fee of 7k per person (with costs escalating daily) paid to border officials. Paying this hefty fee will guarantee their departure from Gaza to Egypt, and once they are in Egypt, they must depart Egypt and reach their final destination within a matter of days. Coordinators in Egypt demand proof of funds before adding their names to the crossing list, intensifying the urgency of our situation.

Our fundraising goal is set at $200,000

*$196,000 for the expense paid to border officials ($7,000 × 28 people)

*$4,000 for shelter, resettlement, clothing, urgent healthcare, and humanitarian needs

Every donation, regardless of size, will make a significant difference in saving them. Please consider sharing our campaign widely with your family and friends to help us reach our goal as swiftly as possible, as every moment that passes poses a threat to their lives.

This GoFundMe is run for the Ayoub family by their cousins, aunt, sister, and uncle based in the United States. Your support means the world to us. Every donation contributes to the immense costs they face.