About

This website began as a way to help tell the story of a young woman trying to survive the genocide in Gaza. My first conversation with Rahaf was on Mastodon. I cannot recall the exact words of her post, but she was essentially crying out in the darkness for help and hearing silence in response. Her only lifelines were a GoFundMe page created by Seth Kelley and her Mastodon account. I had only known her for a few days when her Mastodon account was suspended for spam. We tried creating new accounts on Bluesky, which were instabanned. Mastodon moderators were persuaded to unsuspend her for a week or two, and then her account was suspended again. At the time of writing, this site and Seth’s GoFundMe are all she has left. Seth Kelley, who started the fundraiser, wrote:

My name is Seth Kelley. I’m from Whatcom County, Washington. I’m taking part in grassroots activism. I sympathize with victims of imperialism and colonialism. Most of all, I am tired of witnessing extreme injustice. I am raising funds for my dear friend Rahaf Abu Khatla and her elderly parents — her father Jumaa Abu Khatla and her mother Faisal Abu Khatla — whom she cares for alongside her brother Ahmed Abu Khatla. Rahaf is only twenty years old, but she has shown incredible strength and dedication in the face of unimaginable hardship. Her university studies were cut short when her land was occupied by Israel, and now her home has been destroyed. Today, Rahaf and her family live in a tent with a dirt floor inside a concentration camp in Gaza. Her father, who suffers from severe heart failure, was scheduled for surgery before the war, but it never happened. Now he is mostly bedridden, and Rahaf’s mother, who has hearing issues, does all she can to help the family survive. Life in the camp is a daily struggle. Supplies are extremely limited, and prices for basic necessities fluctuate wildly because of the ongoing conflict. In the past three years, Rahaf’s family has lost a significant amount of weight because of chronic hunger. Their basic needs — food, clean water, bedding, prayer mats, and kitchen utensils — are difficult to meet, and with no way to earn money these costs are impossible for them to cover. Rahaf also hopes to continue her math studies, but she needs a laptop to do so. Medical treatment for her father is difficult to access and often unavailable, but any support will help them do what they can. Every day they face not only hunger and illness but also the dangers of shootings, bombings, and unsafe living conditions, including threats from feral dogs and vermin. From these vermin comes a massive population of fleas, leaving no peace in sleep. My hope, along with Rahaf’s, is first to provide her family with the essentials they need to survive and regain some stability. With your help, Rahaf can continue her education and become a boots-on-the-ground activist, working to spread grassroots financial aid to others in Gaza. Your support will not only help Rahaf’s family but also empower her to help many more people in desperate need. Please consider donating — every contribution brings hope and relief to those who need it most. Seth Kelley

Rahaf wrote:

Hello, my name is Rahaf. I am 20 years old and I am from Gaza. Because of these harsh conditions, I sincerely appeal to kind-hearted and compassionate people to look at our situation with mercy and sympathy, so that I may be able to provide my father with the treatment he needs and the healthy food required for my parents. Any help, no matter how small, would mean a great deal to us and would ease some of the heavy burden we are living with during these difficult times. Thank you for your kindness and compassion. Rahaf Abu Khatla

Seth transfers money raised on the GoFundMe to Rahaf’s personal Bank of Palestine account, as he has already done with a personal donation.

Our goal is to grow the site by telling more stories and holding those who tell them in our hearts and minds. Please give if you can. Any amount helps. This site is run by Mark and Rahaf.

More stories

We are planning to publish more stories from other people. We are not taking them now. There is no form and no public mailbox. For now, this is Rahaf’s story, in her words. The Donate button goes to her GoFundMe.