Urgent - Help my family escape the war in Gaza.

Dear Friends,

I am Sara Alhalabi, and I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

As you may know, the situation in Gaza, Palestine, has reached a critical point, with the ongoing conflict causing immense suffering and destruction.

I write to you today with a plea for help, not for strangers, but for my own family, who are caught amid this turmoil.

I am trying to evacuate and relocate 13 family members, including:

- Parents - Mohmmad and Mona

- Brother Ahmad, 19 years old

- Sister Dina and her husband Ehab abo Hamra, along with their children Adel, Razan and new-born baby Rafik

- Sister Doua and her husband Hassan Almadhoun, along with three children Sami, Yousef and Ellen

Due to the war in Gaza, my parents’ house was destroyed and they suddenly found themselves homeless. They and my brother were all forced to leave their home and seek refuge at my uncle’s house which already hosts 40 others like us. As you can imagine, there is no privacy living in a house with 40 people and to make matters worse, they have extremely limited access to basic necessities like food and clean water.

My sister Dina was forced to deliver her baby with no anesthesia in a hospital full of dead bodies and people dying around her. Due to the stress of the situation, she is unable to breastfeed, forcing her to rely on baby formula which is hard to find. Even when they can get it, it is still difficult to access the clean water necessary to make a bottle. She has also had to evacuate her home because her neighborhood is considered a warzone. She, her newborn and the rest of her family were also able to relocate to my uncle’s house.

Lastly, my sister Douaa’s house was bombed and destroyed and she and her family are currently living in a tent in the Gaza winter dealing with the cold, rain, and flooding.

Our family in Canada is doing everything we can to support them, but we can't do it alone.

That's where you come in.

The Urgent Need:

We are launching this GoFundMe campaign with the sole purpose of raising funds to help my family escape the genocide. Your generous donations will:

• Cover the required money for their safe passage to Egypt.

• Provide them with the basics they need - food, clean water, and shelter.

• Facilitate their journey to be reunited with us in Canada.

• Cover the flight ticket and all expenses associated with traveling to Canada

The money raised will be crucial in providing them with a chance to rebuild their lives in a safer environment. The funds will be utilized for immediate necessities such as temporary shelter, food, clean water, and urgent medical attention for the children.

About Me

I am 29 years old and I’ve lived my entire life in Gaza. In 2019, I left Gaza for the first time after getting married and moving to Canada to start my family and have been unable to see my family since then. We have missed important milestones in each other’s lives over the past few years because we’re unable to travel to visit each other. That means my mother missed the birth of my first child and I wasn’t able to be there for the birth of my niece.

My family lives in Khan Younis, a city in Gaza that is now considered a warzone. My family has had their home destroyed a few times over the past 15 years and have had to rebuild every time. This time is different. My childhood home is now completely destroyed with little hope of rebuilding any time soon. A recent UN report projects that it will take 70 years for Gaza to recover economically from this war.

Watching the news every day is heart breaking. I try to talk to my family every day, but sometimes we go weeks without any hearing from them because of the communication black outs that mean my family has no access to Wi-Fi or cellular networks. I feel helpless being so far away and unable to even comfort my mother, who is severely depressed at the loss of her home and the dire situation they are in.

Your generosity will not only offer them a lifeline but also provide the children with an opportunity to heal, grow, and have a future free from the horrors of war.

Thank you for your support.

Our Progress

- We were able to raise a little over $1,000 in under a month

- My family's Canadian Visa application is currently under review

Next Steps

- We will continue to raise money until we raise enough money to cover all the expenses needed for their evacuation.