Help Alghazzawi Family Escape Gaza
Chava Finkler is organising this fundraiser.
I'm Chava Finkler, a Jewish Canadian, friend & ally to Aya Alghazzawi, a Palestinian in Gaza. Aya and I "met" in cyberspace when I invited her to speak to local Unitarians & friends. Aya's knowledge of Gaza, her eloquent speech & her commitment to her people struck me deeply. We have remained in contact via email for over three years.
Aya asked me to initiate a fundraising campaign as Gazans can not access the GOFUNDME campaign themselves.
Aya and her family need to escape Gaza before the likely Israeli onslaught. Please donate to support the Alghazzawi family. Aya tells her story below. Chava Finkler
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My name is Aya and I am a Palestinian teacher living in besieged Gaza. My life has turned upside down since the beginning of the Israeli genocide on Gaza. I have aged a hundred years. Every single bone aches. I have an unbearable backache as I live in a tent after two displacements. I long for my comfortable bed in my new apartment that was burned by Israeli troops. I yearn for my friends whom Israel brutally killed. I miss my family who have been scattered. But I miss the feeling of safety more than anything. I want my sisters and nieces to stop having nightmares and live their childhood.
The only thing I can do is help my family get out of here. But “coordination” fees to escape Gaza make it almost impossible. We are 14 members; we need 5000$ per adult and 2,500$ per child under 12. We have four children & 10 adults, so we need about 60,000$ US $$ as coordination fees . We need 7000$ as expenses upon our arrival in Egypt. This makes a total of 67,000$ US.. I know our mission is not easy but I trust human values that place life in safety and dignity above all. Any contribution of you, however little, can help us succeed in escaping the genocide.
Updates (2)
20 April 2024by Chava Finkler, Organiser
Aya sent me the email below yesterday:
"I am still in Rafah. As danger is approaching and Israel seems to use the Israeli- Iranian agitation to invade Rafah soon away from enough media coverage, we are seriously considering leaving Rafah"
I replied telling Aya I'd sent her enough $$ for some of her family to leave Gaza. She replied that her bank had not notified her. Usually they text her. It would not surprise me if international transfers to Gaza come under greater scrutiny and take longer. I spent an hour in person at my own bank here in Canada to obtain approval to send $$.
photos below are recent images of Aya in front of her tent
4 April 2024by Chava Finkler, Organiser
Dear Friends and Supporters; Thanks so much for your generous donations to Aya's campaign. Your contributions means so much to Aya and her family as they contemplate leaving Gaza. Aya emailed me the update below. Thanks again for everything, Chava
Update from Aya
It has been 180 days of genocide. I've already aged hundreds of years. My soul is aching for the frequent displacement. My heart feels heavy for the loss of my apartment that had been eaten by an Israeli-caused deliberate fire. They never took into account how much effort and time it takes to build a place for oneself amidst the flagrant unemployment rate and stagnant economic wheel in the biggest concentration camp on Earth, Gaza.
My life went upside down due to the current genocide. It is the most ferocious, bloody hell that Israel placed us in. Not only did my place got burned and greatly damaged, but also my professional, social life got frozen. Instead, I, alongside my family, friends and fellow Palestinians in Gaza, have entered a vicious circle of terror, worrisome, loss and bereavement.
I dwell now in a tent in primitive conditions. I have no comfortable bed, clean bathroom, necessary water or healthy food. My back hurts so much that I slightly bend it and cannot stand for long.
I fear an imminent nervous breakdown. I want this suffering to come to an end. However, all I can do at the moment is to help my family get out of Gaza and let our children feel safe again. Maybe then, they will stop having nightmares and restore their spark and joyful laughter. Would you help us feel safe again and escape the genocide?
Wishes of peace, Aya