Please help my family get out of Gaza

Hello everyone,

My name is Majd Almasri, I am currently a 16-year-old Gazan exchange student in the USA in the state of Washington. My parents (Ahmed and Asmahan Almasri) and 12-year-old sister (Mariam) have been trapped in Gaza since October 7th and are trying to evacuate to Egypt and I am desperately trying to help them from here. They are in a dangerous area in Deir Albalah town and they are close to constant bombing so that nobody can guarantee their lives for the next day. I have struggled immensely just trying to talk to them as the internet is cut off most of the time when it’s not a total blackout. There is no food or resources left in Gaza which will lead them to starve soon, not to mention the astronomical prices if some food was even available. Seeing what is happening to my family while I am away from them shatters me, and I am trying to find any possible way to get them out of there alive.

I have lost many relatives and friends while being here in the US and not being able to do anything about it. My only wish is not to hear the same news about my family. Also, my sister is supposed to be in 7th grade this year, but she couldn’t resume her education because of the difficult circumstances and bombing of schools and institutions. As her oldest sister, it breaks my heart to see her dreams fading while holding on to dear life. All I want for her is to have a decent education and for my family to be safe and not be on the lookout for their lives every single second.

Helping my family evacuate to Egypt would only be possible with help from people outside Gaza. Getting through the Egyptian border is extremely challenging as it costs 7 - 9 thousand dollars for each person to pass. The goal for my campaign is to get them out of Gaza through the Egyptian border, pay for their visas and passports, and have a small amount of money for temporary stay expenses and my sister’s education.

In the first picture on the left, we were celebrating my sister’s birthday last June (her first day after completing 12 years). The picture in the middle shows her and I together shopping before I came to the US. She loved shopping and was the most enthusiastic little girl I know. The third picture shows my dad and sister smiling before she went to her swimming class. The picture below shows her being happy with her friends at school. These are just memories now, and I am hoping they would come back to life sometime soon.

In the past few weeks, several exchange students have been actively launching GoFundMe campaigns. Fortunately, they were able to get their families out of Gaza. Although most banks are severely damaged and not functioning, there are still ways in which I can send my family the money to get them out.

Thank you so much for helping me and my family. This would be life-changing and my last speck of hope for having a normal life.