***UPDATE2***

Our friend’s Mother and Sister have been evacuated and have safely arrived in Egypt. Awaiting funds for two more permits for tbe remaining two family members.***

***UPDATE

We are over the moon to have reached our original target of £6,500+ and we cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity! Together we have been able to give our friend’s family hope of evacuating Gaza! This was short-lived unfortunately as the application offices closed, only to open again with increased prices for applicants desperately filing for permits to leave!

Because of this we are raising our target. As it currently stands the permits are around $6000+ per 1 Adult applicant and are subject to change!

Our friend and his family previously asked to prioritise his Mother and younger Sister which is still the case however if we are able to raise enough we will be attempting to keep the family together and evacuate them together all at once!

All donations of any amount at this point are greatly appreciated and welcomed! Thank you to everyone who has already given and please re share this far and wide as we believe this goal is well within our reach!****

I write to you with a heavy heart, burdened by the imminent danger facing my family in Gaza. My name is M.A. I am a Palestinian Citizen seeking asylum here in Belfast.

I am raising funds to help my family in Gaza to enter Egypt. The situation is very critical and they don't have resources to cross this border in order to save their lives and to be reunited with other family members who are already living in Egypt.

My father O.A. was a Lab technician but recently retired. My mother S.A. was a stay at-home Mother. My brother Y.A. was working as an accountant and my sister N.A. was meant to be graduating in Business Management in October 2023.

Both of my parents, my brother and my sister were in our family home in central Gaza when they were forced to evacuate South to Khan Yonis to seek safety with other relatives. However, this again was not safe as the day after they arrived, they were forced to flee again to another relatives home in Al-Zawaida where another 6 families are currently cohabitating together in the same house for the same reasons.

My immediate family are now urgently trying to gather funds so that they can pay for the permit to cross the Egyptian border. Time is of the essence as the situation in Gaza is unimaginable.

I am overwhelmed by all the solidarity for Palestine at this sad time for my people. I will always be grateful to the Belfast community for helping me to bring my family to safety.

-M.A.