Please help my family escape Gaza for Australia

PLEASE HELP MY FAMILY ESCAPE GAZA FOR AUSTRALIA

Hello - my name is Iyad S’Bayeh. I’m an Australian of Palestinian heritage, writing on behalf of my younger brother Ashraf and his family, who are Palestinian citizens trapped in Gaza. They are desperate to escape.

Forced to flee their Gaza City home in October, they were staying in Khan Younis, until it became too dangerous. They are currently sheltering in Deir al Balah, the constant, loud whine of drones used as torture, preventing sleep. They exist in an ever-present state of anxiety and fear of death.

We have lost 33 members of our extended family to date. 14 were killed in one night when their building was bombed. My cousin’s seven year old son Mohammad is in intensive care with shrapnel embedded in his head, his sister Sara, shrapnel in her abdomen. Another cousin watched her four teenage sons arrested by the IDF, and then released without charge after two hours of interrogation. As they walked away from their place of confinement, the eldest, Ahmad, was shot in the back of the head by a sniper and killed.

The good news - we have secured visas for the eight members of Ashraf’s family to travel to Australia, where they can stay with my family in north-east Melbourne.

BUT….

THE $97,000 CHALLENGE

In order for them to get out of Gaza, we urgently need to secure the following funds:

1. RAFA/EGYPT BORDER CROSSING FEES: Approx AU$8,500* per family

member to be paid to Egyptian intermediaries = AU$68,000* for 8 people. *This fee is varying widely, fluctuating between $5000-15,000 US per person, depending on the day.

2. TEMPORARY EGYPTIAN ACCOMMODATION/FOOD INCLUDING THE ISSUING OF PALESTINIAN PASSPORTS IN CAIRO: Approx AU$5,000 total to

cover accommodation and food in Egypt for 8 people whilst we obtain a passport for each family member and secure flights to Australia

3. FLIGHTS TO AUSTRALIA: AU$3,000 x 8 = AU$24,000 (return flights due to the nature of visas secured)

TOTAL $97,000

[My little sister Amal is also trapped in Gaza with her family. We are desperate

to get them out too, but as yet they have received no response from the Australian government regarding their visa applications. We pray every day that their visa applications will be approved.]

I know that Australians are watching the violence in Gaza and genuinely want

to help.

CALL TO ACTION

● Please Donate if you are able - we will accept any and all donations with humility and gratitude.

● Share this link with Family and Friends and let them know that their generosity will make a real difference.

● Share the link on Social Media - If you are happy to share the link on any and all social media channels that you are on, please do. If you are doing this, please do write a short, positive introduction to go with the link that highlights how a donation will directly be helping real people escape Gaza.

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Ahmad’s third birthday

https://youtu.be/RTKScpeVkHk

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MY BROTHER’S FAMILY

Ashraf (57) - my younger brother. Ashraf is the father of four children (3 girls and one boy) and grandfather of one.

“I had a grocery shop in Gaza city prior to the war and a happy life with my family. The war came and I lost my business and only source of income. My aspirations are purely to make my family happy and live a normal life. These hopes are gone. I have been evacuated to the south. I wish that my life goes back to normal and I am able to support my family again”.

Hiba (48) – my sister-in-law and Ashraf’s wife, is currently stuck in the West Bank. In August 2023 Hiba accompanied my seriously ill pregnant niece Hanan to East Jerusalem, to receive specialist care. The twins were delivered safely but the war broke out before they were well enough to travel. Hiba, Hanan and the twin boys are still in Jerusalem, desperate to be reunited with their family

“It is now nine months since I have seen my family. I cry every day as this is the first time that I am separated from my husband and kids for so long. I wish that I will be reunited with my family as soon as possible, and back to my normal life which I was living before the war. I just want to take care of my kids whom I miss dearly”

Reham (26) – my oldest niece and mother to baby Ahmad (3). Before the war Reham was working with the International Medical Corps Gaza (an American company) providing mental health care to women.

“I enjoyed my job helping women very much and then the Gaza war came and all my hopes and dreams were destroyed. I lost my job and my house was badly damaged, so I evacuated with my family to the south. I hope my normal life with my husband and child comes back, so we can build our future. My wish for my son is that he can play outside safely with other kids. I want him to live a normal life away from fear, anxiety and war.

Mohammad (34) - the husband of my oldest niece Reham and father to baby Ahmad. Before the war he was building a career in IT as a full-stack developer.

“I loved my work and I was looking for a position with international companies. The war has completely destroyed the building where my company was located, and my house. I had no choice but to evacuate south with my family. I hope I can go back to my home and job so I can support my family in a safe environment and offer them clean food and drink. I wish for my son to live a normal life and play with his friends, away from fear.

Abdullah (21) - my nephew. Prior to 7 October Abdullah was in his fourth year of medicine, well on his way to achieving his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon.

“The war came and destroyed all my ambitions to finish my study and pursue my hope of becoming a neurosurgeon. I have evacuated with my family to the south of Gaza and now always live in fear of death as it is not safe at all. I hope life goes back to normal so I may pursue my studies and help my community”.

Rana (20) - my niece, was in her third year studying economics and commerce. She dedicated most of her free time to charity work.

“The war came and stopped our life totally and I was forced to evacuate south with my family to seek relative safety, but now there is no safe place to go. All places are suffering from air strikes or invasion by the IDF. All that I hope is to have the right to live safely and in peace, finish my uni degree and pursue postgraduate studies.

Rheem (15) - my youngest niece, was in the 10th grade in high school, and doing extremely well with her studies.

”I lived a happy life with my family and then the war came and we evacuated to the south and I lost all my aspirations. I always fear that I will not see my mum again. I hope I can continue my dream to become a dentist and serve my people”.

In the event that the situation in Gaza changes and there is no way for them to cross

the border before their Australian visas run out, these funds would be used to help both my brother and sister’s families try to survive in whatever desperate new reality arises (if

they are still alive). With no home, no school, no hospital, and little food (a 1kg bag of

flour is currently $45), we will do everything we can to get them to safety.

I will update donors as and when I have news. Until then, I humbly thank you on

behalf of my Gaza family.