Campaign Story

United States

[UPDATED January 20, 2025]:

My dear friend Mahmoud is only 23 years old and the sole supporter of his beautiful family of 25, including 10 young children (Ahmed, Mohamed, Mariam, Jourieh, Joan, Lamia,Yahya, Reda, Rital and Qasim) where they are currently displaced in the North of Gaza. They have narrowly survived numerous airstrikes and displacements already, disabilities and injuries, and the harshest weather conditions. On top of everything, Mahmoud’s family is still grieving the loss of his father, Abu Qasim Ahmed Al-Ajla, who was killed by the Israeli occupation on 10/27/23, and several of his cousins who were kidnapped and executed on 10/19/24. Mahmoud’s family lost everything and have perservered through over a year of unimaginable horrors. With no other way of making an income and prices still rising, they need our ongoing survival support so they can try to rebuild. [Scroll for verification of identity and receipt of funds]

What your donations support:

Mahmoud and some of his family, before Oct. 7, 2023.

Mahmoud providing food and supplies to orphans through his mutual aid project, Project Olive Tree (@projectolivetree.gaza)

—————————————————————————————- Verification of Identity:

I (LOTUS) am in daily contact with Mahmoud, through messages, voice notes, phone and video calls. On October 18, 2024, Mahmoud requested my support in creating a separate fundraiser for his family (previously he was asking for support on behalf of his sister Aisha’s family fundraiser). I am part of a team of 6 and an instagram group chat of 100+ people from all around the world who are all committed to supporting Mahmoud’s family and helping share their story as much as we can. We are always looking for people to join this support team, in whatever capacity they have to offer.

If you’d like to be added to the team, please send a DM to @projectolivetree.gaza on instagram.

Mahmoud’s Identity:

Method of Funds Transfer & Verification:

I receive direct deposits to my bank account via Chuffed/Stripe and PayPal every 1-3 days. I then make an international wire transfer through my bank account directly to Mahmoud’s cousin, Ashraf, who lives in Egypt. I have verified Ashraf’s WhatsApp number, address, and his bank’s address through the help of a trusted friend who was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. It is still not possible to wire money directly from the USA to Gaza.

Once Ashraf receives the funds, he directs Mahmoud to a money transfer office in Gaza, or sometimes to a specific person who receives the funds and passes them along. Below are some messages from Mahmoud (1/1/25) explaining further about how he gets the funds and showing me proof of receipt of a money transfer:

Video Proof (1/1/25) of Mahmoud with the money referenced in the photo above

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Mahmoud’s own words telling his story (10/18/24):

“Our children’s names are Ahmed, Mohamed, Mariam, Jourieh, Joan and Lamia. There are 4 children who were not with us in the picture: Yahya, Reda, Rital and Qasim.

The situation is very difficult, frightening and terrifying. Our children woke up 4 times from their sleep because of the violent and close bombing. We are not well. The danger is very close and the planes are low. We cannot move and go to another place because we do not have the price of transportation and the cost of transportation and evacuation to another place.

I love our family very much and I love our children. I lost my father. Before he was martyred, my father used to tell me to be with our family and children and with my mother.

I want to do as my father told me, but I am unable to. I have escaped certain death dozens of times and have been seriously injured in the chest and foot area I have been struggling for a year alone like The man who fights the melting pot with all his ferocity alone is tired, very tired. I swear to you, my friend, because our family was suffering from extreme poverty and we were unable to buy everything, I was thinking of selling my kidney.

[Prior to 10/7/23] I was studying at a university as a computer engineer and I had a lot of friends and I had a nice car. I was a very elegant young man who cared about his personality.

But now I have become an important person with great responsibility, walking 4 kilometers every day to search for food for his family and children. I have become a thin person and have changed a lot.

You don’t have to be Palestinian to show solidarity with Gaza. You must have humanity and a kind heart. Our fathers, grandchildren and elders taught us strength and resilience despite all the sacrifices and sorrows, but in the end freedom will be ours because we are the owners of the right and the cause.

Netanyahu does not know how much strength and resilience we have. He wants us to surrender, and we tell him that if the whole world came together to make us surrender, we will not surrender. We have sacrificed everything for the sake of freedom and justice.”

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Please follow Mahmoud’s new insta account @mhamoud_3 to stay updated!

Unfortunately, meta has wrongfully terminated Mahmoud’s accounts :/ please report this to instagram and continue donating (on the new campaign) if you can!

https://chuffed.org/project/fundmahmoud

If anyone knows someone who works at meta that’d be super helpful as well! you can reach out in the comments.

Elena Razlogova