Help Ghadeer’s Family of 6 Survive in Gaza

Product Description

United States

Ghadeer’s family is currently living in a tent by the sea in Deir al-Balah after they were forcibly displaced from Jabalia. Ghadeer’s husband is disabled and sick and requires special care. Ghadeer herself has asthma and a hole in her heart. The genocide has had a compounded impact on Palestinians with disabilities.

Ghadeer and Osama have four children: Khaled, Nour, Abdul Rahman, and Maryam.

Before the genocide, Ghadeer used to embroider abayas and sew. She also cleaned and organized weddings for extra money for her family. Her husband, Osama, used to work as a teacher for disabled students at one of the private schools in Gaza. He was independent, and an involved and loving husband and father. Together, they ran a stand that sold some sweets and biscuits. However, the genocide and repeated trauma took an immense toll on him, and his condition has gotten much worse. He is no longer independent and has struggled immensely over the last fifteen months.

Ghadeer’s beautiful tatreez.

Ghadeer’s children have had to take on so much fatigue and responsibility despite their young age. They have been deprived of their education and childhood. Ghadeer asks that you “give hope to [her] children and breathe life into them.”

“My children’s lives were peaceful and beautiful, and each one of them dreamed of a future of his own, and my dream is to see them comfortable and happy in their lives, achieving their dreams.”

The occupation has stolen those dreams away. Now, they are unable to dream of anything but safety, food, and for the deprivation and fear to end. “They are children who deserve your attention and love.”

Moreover, the whole family has suffered from uncomfortable skin diseases because of the harsh conditions, and the treatments are expensive or unavailable.

Ghadeer’s family urgently needs money for clothing, medicine, food, cleaning supplies, and shelter needs.

Due to the scarcity caused by the manufactured famine, the prices for all basic necessities are extremely high – upwards of ten times their price before the genocide began. Ghadeer’s family currently has no income, so your contributions are urgently needed to help them afford the cost of survival needs.

The need is especially great now due to the cold temperatures and heavy rains of winter. January is the wettest month of the year in Gaza, and the cold is deadly. Relentless rains soak through tents, destroy belongings, and make survival even harder. Your support will help Ghadeer’s family buy warm clothes, blankets, shelter repairs/ rainproofing, and other supplies they need to endure this harsh season.

Some of the current prices in Gaza:

With the banking infrastructure destroyed, families rely on money traders to withdraw cash. These traders can charge 25% or more in fees, making these already high costs even more out of reach.

If they cannot afford these prices, they have no choice but to wait in line for incredibly long hours to get limited amounts of food and other aid. These aid distributions can be chaotic and dangerous. This January, a 6-year-old boy was martyred after he fell into a pot of boiling food during a stampede at a food distribution. In November, two children and a woman were crushed to death in Deir al-Balah as a crowd of starving people pushed to try to get bread at a bakery.

You can follow Ghadeer on Instagram where she posts about her family and the challenges they face: @ghade_er1978 (Her last Instagram was recently deleted by Meta.)

From Ghadeer:

“I am a Palestinian citizen living in Gaza, specifically in the Al-Sikka area, in the northern Gaza Strip. I am married to Osama, my husband, who has special needs and needs care. I have four children: Khaled, Nour, Abdul Rahman, and Maryam. I was responsible for their clothing and food. I provided my children with everything they needed because my husband could neither hear nor speak. Then the war came and destroyed my house. All my dreams were under the rubble. We were displaced from the north to the Deir al-Balah area in a tent on the sea. Now I cannot provide them with anything. The burden and harshness of life have increased my life. I hope that you will help my family. I need your kind heart. Please help me.”

Why donate directly? Aid is not making it to those in need. What little aid does get in is not enough for the millions of displaced people in need. Palestinians in Gaza cannot afford to wait for the state (or non-profits) to help. We must step in with direct aid. Mutual aid ensures the money will go directly to those in need. No one should have to beg for their life on the internet while a settler colonial state attempts to annihilate their people. Money given directly to a person in need is GUARANTEED to help that person far more (quickly & in amount) than giving to any charity/non-profit. You can see your donations work almost immediately in real time. Donating directly to families in Gaza ensures your money goes where it is needed without waste and delays.

Learn more about the compounded impacts of the genocide on disabled Palestinians and their families, more about Ghadeer’s family experiences, and other info here.

About the Organizer: My name is Kelly Holsopple, and I live in NC, USA. I have raised mutual aid funds for PS since May of this year. I am in regular contact with the family, and I am happy to answer any questions you have. Instagram: @poppycoda.

Sarah Rampal