Mohammed is Tasneem's cousin. He and his fiance Bessan are raising funds to evacuate from Gaza. Please read their story and share it with your networks. Your unique voice and influence might be what someone needs to hear to be inspired to act.
Mohammed is a doctor and Bessan is an architect in Gaza. They have been together since 2011 and were engaged to be married on October 10, 2023 but the war started three days prior and their wedding was cancelled.
Mohammed completed the first 7 years of his general medical degree and was applying to begin a 7 year residency in Egypt this year. In addition to missing the registration, they lost all of the money they had saved for his tuition. They also lost their house, all of their belongings, and Bessan's work.
During the aggression in Gaza, Mohammed has been working 120 hours a week without any income, treating patients with horrific wounds. Sometimes he travels from one hospital to another after dark to save a patient, and the danger is great due to the continuous bombing of ambulances.
Visas to cross the Rafah border to Egypt have skyrocketed to $10,000 per person. In addition there are threats of an oncoming ground invasion, which could hinder the flow of people across the border. It is urgent that the money be raised quickly. After evacuating the couple is seeking $10,000 to cover living expenses in Egypt for a year so they have time to regain financial stability.
Mohammed and Bessan are breadwinners for their large extended family; being able to escape and regain their financial independence will have a huge impact on their family’s future. Mohammed plans to complete his education, and Bessan will be able to continue her work as an architect remotely.
From Bessan:
“We are a doctor and an engineer, who had a love story since 2011, but with the war our dreams have disappeared. We lost our lovely house, clothes, and the money we collected for Mohammed to complete his studies. We lost our past and present so please help us to keep our lives and future safe. We are peace lovers and very ambitious people. We hope to save our lives. We want support to get out from Gaza, continue our education, try to have a new safe home and return to our lives before 7 Oct. We appreciate everyone's beautiful effort in trying to help us and the people in Gaza.”
You can donate to their GoFundMe efforts to evacuate from Gaza here.