Save Gaza’s 1st Pickleball Coach – Help Samer Survive & Escape

Product Description

United States

Hi, I’m Caroline and I am managing this campaign for Samer, whom I met through a personal friend of mine who’s children attended Samer’s pickleball lessons.

Before the war, Samer was Gaza’s first certified pickleball coach—a beloved mentor who brought joy to his community through sport. Today, he is fighting just to survive, separated from his family and struggling to find food. He needs your help to escape this nightmare.

Samer was a pioneer—the first certified pickleball player and coach in Gaza, teaching kids and adults the game he loved. His energy and passion inspired many, and for years, the sound of paddles and laughter filled his the courts.

But when war broke out, everything changed. He and his family followed directions to travel from the north to Rafah in the south, where tragically an Israeli airstrike struck the building he and his family were sheltering in. He lost most of his family including his 8 year old daughter Massa, both of his parents, and brother’s family. His wife and two remaining children were injured and granted medical evacuation to Egypt, but Samer was not allowed to travel with them. Now, he is trapped in Gaza, facing starvation, constant danger, and the crushing weight of being unable to provide for his loved ones.

All Samer wants is to reunite with his family, heal from this trauma, and one day return to coaching—but right now, survival is his only goal.

Every dollar you donate will go directly to: ✔ Emergency food & supplies to keep Samer and his family alive. ✔ Safe passage to Egypt when travel is available to reunite him with his family. ✔ Rebuilding their lives with shelter, medical care, and basic necessities.

This is more than charity—it’s a lifeline. Coach Samer once dedicated his life to teaching resilience through sport. Now, he needs someone to fight for him.

Please donate today—and help a father, a coach, and a survivor reunite with his wife and children.

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July ’25 Update from Caroline:

Samer has always been gracious and positive, but I can see his light fading. Our support is the practical and emotional support needed to keep him going and give him a fighting chance to survive and reunite with his family.

I met Samer through a close friend who’s two boys took raquetball lessons from Samer. He worked as an accountant for an orphanage before 10/7/23. Now he is sheltering in that same orphanage.

Here is the latest in his words (late July, 2025). I’m really hoping we can raise some funds for him and together, provide some much needed relief.

“Hello Caroline,

Yes, we are not okay. They are making things worse for us every day, and they are killing children, adults, the young, and women every day.

No one hears, no one responds, no one helps. Oh Lord, have mercy on us. I feel nothing but disappointment.

I and others like me are oppressed people. By God, I see people in the streets, dizzy and falling to the ground from extreme hunger.

Praise be to God for everything. I thank you for your feelings for me, my wife, my children, and the people of Gaza. But you have provided us with a livelihood. We do not want anything else. This is my message to the entire world.”

Today 7/20/25, Samer reported that a bag of flour is $280 USD. As the world continues to pressure Israel to lift its seige, we must help Gazans survive despite inflation. This is a direct way to support. Thank you for your humanity.

In solidarity,

Caroline

Saad Muhammad Hashmi

1 hour ago

$25

Anonymous