Help my family to evacuate from Gaza.

Hi, I’m Robina Qureshi - and like many globally - I've been witnessing the horrors inflicted on Palestinian people in Gaza via social media. What's been unfolding there these past few months is unbearable and so I've been doing all I can, learning, and sharing content that tells the truth about the situation. I helped create this fundraising campaign to help Hashem, one of the people I support in our refugee community at the homelessness charity Positive Action in Housing, where I work, raise the amount needed to get his family out of Gaza so they can stay in a safe place in Egypt. It's a privilege to be able to do something to help Hashem and his family in this way - and I hope you'll join me in giving whatever you can. Rest assured that ALL money will be used to support Hashem’s family and we will post updates here.

Story

After five months of praying for a ceasefire and for some way in which my family members could return to their home in Khan Younis, I find myself in the desperate situation of asking for your help.

My mother and sister, despite their optimism and determination not to leave, have faced the devastating news of the death of 17 members of our family, including my uncle, his wife, children and grandchildren, and the destruction of the house she had worked hard to build over 30 years.

They have not had access to food or sanitary conditions and are sleeping 25 to a room on a construction site with no bathroom and no windows. You can imagine what conditions are like. They barely sleep in case of bombardment.

As most people know, Gaza is under intense bombardment, with at least 100,000 killed, missing, injured, buried or missing, with numbers suspected to be 3 to 5 times higher than reported.

As a doctor, I fear what awaits my family and all Gazans in these conditions: disease, infections, and injuries, in addition to starvation and continuing bombardment.

I am trying to support several family members in Gaza and in the Middle East because, as you know, Palestinians are displaced in their millions all over the Middle East.

My mother and little sister are in Rafah, alongside my wife’s parents and siblings.

The saddest thing for me is that my mother and our family moved under orders to what they called the “safest place” - in the “safe zone” Raffah. They do not want to leave Gaza, but there is truly no safe place now. They are exhausted and cannot tolerate it anymore.

A few days ago, my extended family of around 100 people decided to leave Rafah and return to their homes in Khan Younis. They bought tins of food and water and planned to walk 8 miles back to their homes. They heard from neighbours who had done the same and decided to live on the rubble of their homes. However, this “dream” became impossible when they were informed that Khan Younis had come under intense bombardment and that it would not be safe even to set foot in Khan Younis.

Despite being just a few hundred meters from the Egyptian border, the closed Rafah crossing is accessible only to those who can afford exorbitant fees now, preventing their safe escape.

I want to save the lives of my mother, sister, and my wife’s parents and siblings. If they can cross to Egypt, friends and relatives will assist them, and at least they will be safe from continual bombardment. They can start to rebuild their physical strength and get some breathing space while we work out how to move on from this considerable trauma to our family members and our people.

I am therefore appealing for funds towards the cost of their transit out of Gaza. I will also provide updates here.

The photo above is of my mother and me. She is very shy of having her photo taken. So it’s precious as I don’t think I have any other photo of her. I also don’t know if I will ever see her in person again. This is my last attempt to help her live in the hope I can see her, my little sister and the rest of the family again. This link is also to an article containing my mother’s words when they were sure they did not have long. This was in November 2023. The picture is very famous in Gaza and most families have a picture of it in their homes.

https://www.paih.org/imans-last-words

I am respectfully asking for funds to support the evacuation of my family members from Gaza and then, in phase 2, to support their accommodation and living expenses in Gaza. For the sake of transparency, I am keeping an account of all funds and where they are being spent for this appeal. They are solely being used for evacuation costs and resettlement of ten members of our family in Egypt.  

For verification of this appeal, please contact Robina Qureshi of Positive Action in Housing, who is supporting me through this challenging period. e: home (at) positiveactionh (dot) org.

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