A year ago, Khaled’s life came crashing down. It was only a few weeks after Israel’s onslaught on Gaza had begun, and the 33-year-old was having dinner with his wife and two children in their home in Al-Bureij refugee camp, in the center of the Strip. Suddenly, an airstrike hit their neighbor’s house, killing 10 people. Khaled and his family survived, but their home was severely damaged, forcing them to evacuate to the nearby city of Deir Al-Balah.
Like thousands of other families in Gaza, Khaled was desperate to get his loved ones out of the line of fire. But with Israel attacking every part of the Strip, he realized real safety would require evacuating from Gaza. To do so, he needed to raise thousands of dollars to pay their way through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah Crossing — Gazans’ sole route to the outside world. …more
