Help the Ismail family escape the genocide in Gaza

Who is this for?

This fundraiser is for mechanical engineer Hammam Ismail and his 14 closest family members. They are desperate to escape the genocide in Gaza. Since October, all of the homes of his family, as well as their workspaces and schools, have been bombed and destroyed. As a result, he needs to evacuate his family to safety in Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, the only way for Gazans to escape the ongoing siege. In order for this to happen, he needs to raise about US $5,000 per person. Once that is achieved, it can still take up to a month for their requests to be processed.

“Life is very difficult, and Gaza has become unliveable,” Hammam wrote to me last week. “A week ago, my mother was very sick and went to the hospital and could not receive any treatment or any care. There is very little medical staff. My family and I have decided to leave Gaza for Egypt, and as you know, to leave through the Rafah crossing, each person needs approximately $5,000 to coordinate their exit from Gaza to Egypt.”

“My children, my wife, my mother and father, and my brothers and sisters need to get out of Gaza,” pleaded Hammam in his message. “Please help me to get out of Gaza. Can friends or institutions help me? The situation in Gaza is unsustainable and is getting worse. My children cannot get food. Thank you for everything you have given me, including financial and psychological support. I am indebted to you.”

Hammam is a young father of four. He is a mechanical engineer and worked at the Sea Wave Medical Devices company until it was destroyed by bombings. His wife, Helena Ismail, 26, was studying mathematics at Al-Quds Open University until it was also destroyed. Their family home, as well as his extended families’ homes, have all been bombed and destroyed since October.

Who is organizing ? Why?

My name is Amy Miller, I am documentary filmmaker based in Montréal, Québec. I met Hammam in 2014. At that time, with Drs. Tarek Loubani, Ben Thompson, and Dalal Dahrouj, we ran a successful fundraising campaign, “Empower Gaza,” to obtain solar panels in order to provide reliable energy to hospitals in Gaza. When it came time to install the solar panels, I had established a relationship with the United Nations that allowed myself and a small film crew to enter Gaza and document the process. This became one of the three stories within my documentary film Tomorrow’s Power (2017).

During this trip, I forged a friendship that I have always cherished with Hammam. During our time in Gaza, Hammam was our driver, our guide, and our trusted assistant. He was with us all day, every day, and selflessly helped us for the entire month we filmed in Gaza. Even at that time, life in Gaza was very complicated, and Hammam was able to steer us through every situation, earning our confidence and respect in the process. Now the lives of everyone in his family are in danger.

I am committed to helping the people I worked and built relationships with during my time in Gaza. Right now, it is of great priority that Hammam and 14 of his closest family members reach safety. This requires immediate financial aid, and I am hoping that using my platform will help accelerate this process.

Hammam makes an appearance in my short documentary Gaza: Health Under Siege, which was made with additional footage from the Tomorrow’s Power shoot. In the film, he talks about how he was helping to filter rainwater for people to use safely in their homes because the Gaza’s water supply was not safe to drink. You can watch a clip of him in the video below.

To learn more about the solar panel campaign, which raised US $215,300: EmPower Gaza campaign

What are the funds going to help with?

In order for each person to escape Gaza, they need about US $5,000. This fee is paid to Egyptian agents to crossing the Rafah border from Gaza into Egypt. To start, we aim to raise US $30,000 through this campaign. Our priority is for the six youngest and the eldest family members to escape Gaza first. Any additional funds will be then used to help the rest of Hamman’s family until all of them are safely across the border into Egypt. Currently, children may be able to cross for US $3,000, but the head tax for adults has been fluctuating, as numerous media outlets have reported.

“The only border crossing open with Gaza Strip is the Rafah crossing, and it is extremely difficult to enter the Rafah crossing,” Hammam explained to me in a message he sent last week. “I need minimum US $5,000 per person. It will be coordinated with the Hala Company in Egypt.”

In the case that this fundraiser exceeds the amount of US $68,000 (the approximate amount necessary before the Go Fund Me fees), additional money will be used to meet Hammam and his family’s basic needs in Egypt including food, water, transport, and other living expenses.

The family, youngest to eldest:

1. Nour Hammam Jihad Ismail (daughter, 2)

2. Ahmed Mahmoud Abed, (nephew, 3)

3.Lana Hamam Ismail (daughter, 6)

4. Muhammad Hammam Ismail (son, 7)

5.Rita Hamam Ismail (daughter, 9)

6. Nour Jihad Abdel Fattah Ismail.(sister, 21)

7. Helena Abdel Karim Ismail (wife, 26)

8.Hala Jihad Abdel Fattah Ismail. (sister, 26)

9. Haya Jihad Ismail (sister, 27)

10. Muhannad Jihad Abdel Fattah Ismail. (brother, 28)

11. Mahmoud Abed, (brother in law, 29)

12.Hammam Jihad Abdel Fattah Ismail. (33)

13.Hanadi Jihad Ismail. (sister, 35)

14.Amna Mahmoud Ismail. (Mother, 58)

15.Jehad Abdel Fattah Ismail. (father 62)