Hey, thanks for visiting my site. While you're here, I've curated some resources from Operation Olive Branch if you want to learn more. In the efforts of aiding displaced families in Palestine, I've pulled some GoFundMe's which I'm detailing more on in the latter half of this post.
About Operation Olive Branch
Getting Started:
- Have questions? There are answers. Check out this very thorough document of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
- There's a directory that's accessible through their Linktree. It includes ways to support, digital resources, and a link to a spreadsheet of verified GoFundMe campaigns for 200+ families.
- Here's a direct link to that spreadsheet of verified GoFundMe campaigns for 200+ families.
Quick Assist:
Take immediate action by donating or re-sharing these GoFundMe campaigns!
Diab Alden
Diab, a 27-year-old law graduate and citizen of Gaza, is seeking help with getting his family to safety; 14 family members which includes nine adults and six children. He explains in the GoFundMe details, "To escape the conflict, Palestinians attempting to flee to Egypt must pay a steep “coordination fee” to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Currently, the ministry charges an estimated price of $12500 for men, $8,500 for women, and $3,000 for children."
His father, uncle, 6-year-old cousin, and grandmother are grappling with declining health conditions, and need support for medications and treatments as soon as possible. The campaign goal is £70,000, and at the time of this post, it sits at £58,555. Learn more about their conditions and please consider donating and/or sharing their GoFundMe link. (10/27/2024 Edit: Diab cannot access his GoFundMe funds and so an emergency fundraiser has been put together at this link.)
UPDATE (6/1/2024): Diab's GoFundMe campaign is 94.02% funded and could use some backup, sitting at ~$65,000 out of the family's $70,000 goal. Please visit this link and/or share it to boost the signal: https://gofund.me/8977dc26
"I am Diab, the Palestinian citizen deprived of life and security, suffering a thousand types of pain, fear, phobia, and imminent death. I struggle every day not knowing when this death machine will end. Danger pursues us from all directions, maybe I haven't introduced myself to you before. I am a lawyer who always defended the rights of oppressed humans with a loud voice and no fear. But now, my voice is almost silent, filled with fear. I can't just ask for life, and no one hears me, and few feel my pain. They say I am a hero because I endure hardships,but I truly cherish humanity and wear it as a crown on my head. I don't pride myself on being a writer unless I use the spectrum of humanity to write about its glory and the meaning of my existence. You hear me, I am in danger, unable to cope or even endure the danger. I beg you to help me and my family to escape this war alive. We truly suffer, losing family members every day who are innocent. We do not want to lose any more. We love life and seek peace and security. Support me, plant hope in my heart. Don't you see that a person like me deserves to live? Give me extra time with my family in this world, please." (Diab's GFM update from 5/17/2024)
UPDATE (6/3/2024): Diab's GoFundMe is currently sitting at £68,278 raised of £70,000 goal (97.54% funded). There are no further updates from Diab that I can see on GoFundMe and YouTube, but please continue to donate/share his GoFundMe at this link: https://gofund.me/8977dc26
UPDATE (6/7/2024): The goal post has been moved to £100,000, and while there are no updates from Diab at this time, I can only assume his family is also in need of the funds to support themselves while they wait for safe transit to Egypt. There's also that cut that GoFundMe is expected to take. If you're unfamiliar with the plan and process though, the Palestinians stuck in the Gaza seeking escape from bombardment and siege are forced to pay extreme fees to one of the private travel agencies in Gaza or Cairo. That's where we've reached the goal of £70,000. Afterwards, the families work with Egyptian security forces to coordinate their flight from the Strip (source), and that process doesn't happen overnight. Families are waiting weeks on end before they can leave, which means the need to cover the cost of food and other essentials in the meantime. The funding currently sits at £70,038 (70% funded). Please continue to donate/share Diab's GoFundMe at this link: https://gofund.me/8977dc26
UPDATE (6/17/2024): The donations have slowed down for Diab's GoFundMe as it sits at £70,711. Still, no updates to report. Please continue to donate/share Diab's GoFundMe at this link: https://gofund.me/8977dc26
UPDATE (8/11/2024): I've launched a store with remaining inventory to fundraise donations. Please visit at this link. These have been deactivated for the time being as I'm unable to fulfill them due to current life events.
UPDATE (10/27/2024): Diab unfortunately has lost access to his GoFundMe due to banking issues and cannot access the earned money currently. In the interim, an emergency fundraiser has been put together at this link. My fundraising products have been deactivated for the time being as I'm unable to fulfill them due to current life events.
Zahra Saad
We have a family of 27 here including a newborn that could use our help getting to their goal and to safety; they're so close... Zahra's family is asking for help raising $100,000 to transport each family member to Egypt > Canada.
"$7,000 is for each adult to cover crossing to Egypt. That includes all the proper documents and fees, for a total of $49,000. $1,500 for each member for the plane tickets to Canada, total of $40,500. That comes to a total of $89,500. The rest of the money should cover the fees for Gofundme and their service."
At the time of this post, they've received $72,860 out of $100,000 in donations. Learn more about their conditions and please consider donation and/or sharing their GoFundMe link.
UPDATE (6/1/2024): They're so close to their goal! $99,668 out of $100,000 donated (99.67%) raised. Donate to Zahra's GoFundMe at this link or pass it on: https://gofund.me/2f549ae0
UPDATE (6/3/2024): The $100,000 goal was reached! However, the GoFundMe goal post has moved to $140,000 to help with the expenses for food and other until the entire family is able to leave safely. Read the latest updates from Zahra, donate to the GoFundMe at this link, or pass it on: https://gofund.me/2f549ae0
UPDATE (6/7/2024): Zahra's GoFundMe has raised $100,660 CAD out of $140,000. Funds raised past the initial $100,000 goal are expected to help with food expenses in the interim of them leaving Gaza: https://gofund.me/2f549ae0
UPDATE (6/17/2024): The GFM campaign currently sits at $102,684 out of $140,000. There are no further updates from Zahra at this time. Donate to the GoFundMe at this link, or pass it on: https://gofund.me/2f549ae0
UPDATE (8/11/2024): I've launched a store with remaining inventory to fundraise donations. Please visit at this link. These have been deactivated for the time being as I'm unable to fulfill them due to current life events.
UPDATE (10/27/2024): My fundraising products have been deactivated for the time being as I'm unable to fulfill them due to current life events. I encourage continuing to donate to Zahra's campaign which currently sits at $104,892 out of the $140,000 CAD goal.
Ending Comments
I grew up in Japan and it was at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum that I learned about the horrors of the atomic bomb that dropped on August 6, 1945. The City of Hiroshima continues to write Letters of Protest to the United States asking that the testing of nuclear weapons ceases, to prevent the horrors from happening again. I remember seeing those letters adorn the walls in the museum and how I stopped breathing when it set in. Now, in the last few months, we've had U.S. politicians making parallels to Nagasaki and Hiroshima that are harmful to Palestine and condone the user of nuclear weapons. So please understand - and I say this with my whole chest - history is repeating itself, it's getting worse, and despite social media... they're not afraid to show us that. This is genocide right before our eyes.
"Due to technological developments affecting the potency of bombs, the explosives dropped on Gaza may be twice as powerful as a nuclear bomb. This means that the destructive power of the explosives dropped on Gaza exceeds that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Euro-Med Monitor said, noting that the area of the Japanese city is 900 square kilometres, while the area of Gaza does not exceed 360 square kilometres." (Source: Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor)
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You can learn about more families in need of support through Operation Olive Branch's spreadsheet here: Click Here