Evacuation fund for my aunt's family in Gaza

Hello, my name is Amal Issa and I live in Brooklyn. I am collecting donations on behalf of my aunt Samira Al-Kafarna and her husband Majed, and their daughters and grandchildren, for their emergency evacuation out of Gaza.

As you well know the situation in Gaza is beyond dire, with the ongoing violence injuring, maiming, and claiming the lives of hundreds daily - thousands since last October, the vast majority of whom are children, women, and elderly. The violence has meant that close to 2 million have been displaced; nearly 70% of homes destroyed; the healthcare facilities and task-force disastrously overwhelmed; food, medicine, water, are scarce; and basic infrastructure such as internet, phone, and electricity are only intermittently available.

I am looking to help evacuate a large family of 15: my aunt Samira and her husband Majed; their twin daughters Noor and Hala; daughter Dina and her fiancé Majed; daughter Rola, her husband Zuheir, and their children Malak, Mohammed, Elaine, and Lana; and daughter Hiba, her husband Tariq, and their daughter Lamis.

Since October they had their family home destroyed, and had to move no less than four times to escape the shelling, with the family currently stranded together in Rafah in a hall with 30 other people.

Before they had their own kids, my beloved aunt and uncle used to babysit me when I was a toddler, and their love and humor stays with me to this day. A few words about their family:

Majed Al-Kafarna, the father, is the best grandfather one can ever have, 70 years old, loves his daughters and grandchildren very much. He worked hard to build the home in which they lived happily with his daughters and grandchildren since their childhood for over 20 years—now destroyed with all the memories in it.

Samira, the mother, fiercely loves and protects her children. Samira underwent open heart surgery recently and also suffers from diabetes. Currently, she lacks access to medication, jeopardizing her health.

Hala and Noor, twin flames of hope and resilience: Just days before the war, Hala graduated with a Master's degree in Mental Health. Noor, a photographer brimming with vitality, had started her own photography business, now reduced to rubble.

Their daughter Dina Al-Kafarna, a lawyer by profession and the coordinator of this campaign with me, was eagerly looking forward to her wedding day on October 9th to a fellow lawyer, Majed, their plans abruptly cut short and the future home they had been preparing also now in ruins.

Rola, the eldest sister and mother of four, has chronic hypertension and multiple sclerosis; she also lacks access to vital medication putting her health at grave risk. Her husband Zuhair, a dedicated and successful surgeon, was brutally forced out of the hospital by the occupation while on duty, his workplace now commandeered by the very forces that threaten his family's survival. Rola and Zuhair's four children bear the brunt of the conflict's cruelty:

Malak, a 15-year-old aspiring student and Mohammed, the second child, dream of following in their father's footsteps and becoming doctors; Elaine, a 9-year-old girl once filled with excitement for school and playtime with friends, now wakes up crying in fear from the deafening sounds of shelling; Lana, a 5-year-old who despite her young age longs for her home and the friends she misses dearly. The occupation has taken her friends and destroyed her joy.

Hiba, the fifth sister in the family, lives with her husband Tariq and their only daughter, Lamis. Lamis is a beautiful and intelligent girl with a great talent for drawing. The occupation forced Hiba and her family to evacuate their home at dawn. They walked on foot from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south, under the sounds of shelling and airplanes, without being able to take anything from their belongings. And then the occupation destroyed their house and took everything from them. Hiba too is diabetic, and in urgent need of scarce medication.

We are looking to raise the fees necessary for their evacuation, currently set at $5,000 for adults and $2,500 for children, (10 adults x $5000 = $50,000; $2,500 x 5 children = $12,500; TOTAL $62,500).

Please consider donating to our fundraising campaign and sharing it with your networks. Any contribution you can make is immensely appreciated, and will go towards ensuring the safe evacuation of my dear aunt’s family.

Thank you for your solidarity and generosity,

Amal Issa