Your vision blurs, dark spots dancing at the edges, and your heart pounds with the effort to stay upright. The heat is suffocating, your limbs tremble with fatigue, but you force yourself forward, refusing to give in. Then, without warning, your strength gives out. Your legs buckle, and you collapse onto the burning earth, dust rising around you as darkness claims your senses.

Images: Ahmed Aldani, a chronically ill teenager from Gaza, is trying to raise money to evacuate and receive medical treatment abroad.

@ahmedaldanigg

@ahmedaldani333

Story written by @rumiandroses

For most in Gaza, each day is a battle for survival—but for fifteen year old Ahmed Aldani, who is chronically ill, the struggle is far more severe. His body is being pushed to its limits by the relentless strain of hunger, pain, and exhaustion. He needs urgent medical care and a chance to escape the nightmare that has become his everyday life.

Image: Ahmed recently reached out to us with an update on his condition.

Every task, no matter how small, has become a struggle for survival. Just a few weeks ago, Ahmed collapsed while walking 3 kilometers (almost 2 miles) to fill water—his body having difficulty sustaining the effort, in desperate need of medical care that, without financial help, is out of reach for Ahmed and his family.

Born amidst conflict, Ahmed has spent all fifteen years of his life enduring the effects of war. The development of his teeth and hair were negatively impacted by toxic gas his mother inhaled during a phosphorus attack while pregnant with him in 2008. The recommended treatment—dental implants—is far beyond his family’s means, with each tooth costing around $1,000. But without treatment, the pain and exhaustion will only worsen.

Images: The development of Ahmed's hair and teeth were impacted by white phosphorus that his mother accidentally inhaled after an occupation attack near the family home in 2008.

Ahmed’s family has been displaced more than seven times in the past ten months, their savings drained just to stay alive. They now live in the southern part of Gaza, jobless and with no access to proper medical care.

This GoFundMe is a lifeline, both for Ahmed’s survival and for his family’s chance to escape Gaza and access the medical treatment he so desperately needs. The goal is to raise $50,000 to cover travel expenses, medical care, and a chance for Ahmed to finally rest, heal, and grow up without pain overshadowing every moment.

Ahmed needs your help—now more than ever. Even the smallest donation can help bring him closer to the care he needs to reclaim his health and his future.

You can donate to Ahmed's GoFundMe campaign [HERE].

For Khaled Al-Anqar, there is only one answer: survive a genocide. Before the war, Khaled, 23, had just graduated with his Bachelor’s in Accounting, and was planning to get married and study abroad.

Now, he must tirelessly fight to keep his family alive in an unfinished school with no windows, no heating, and no incoming aid, as bombs rain down around them. Prices in Gaza are ridiculously steep. With no income, mutual aid donations are the sole way to get money to his family.

As the New Year comes, I hope that you consider helping Khaled and his family get through this war alive. While conditions may seem bleak, it is important to keep in your head that the dreams of Palestinians are merely on pause—because as long as there are people like you to help, there is still hope. Donations of even €5 help immensely, but even if you cannot donate, please share so we can get this post to people who can.

The Al-Anqar’s campaign is vetted by GazaVetters, at #6 on the list.

€7502 / €20,000 - 38%

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rising-from-the-ashes-ghadas-journey-of-hope-and-resilien

Tagging for reach:

care for gaza - focuses on providing food and essential supplies. donate here or here.

connecting humanity - securing internet access via donations of virtual sim cards (esims). if you can't afford a whole plan yourself, crips for esims is a communal pool that will use your donation to purchase and maintain esims

gaza soup kitchen - provides food, medical care, and classes for children. also has a gofundme

glia gaza medical support initiative - provides medical care through field clinics and tents at hospitals. donations can also be sent through their website.

ele elna elak - provides clean water, food, clothing, and shelter. they also have a gofundme

life for gaza - raising money for the gaza municipality to repair water and waste management infrastructure

taawon - partners with local civil organizations to provide food, water, medical care, shelter, and basic supplies

the sameer project - running various initiatives providing tents, medical care, and necessities. they have their own encampment project focused on sheltering families with children, sick and disabled members, or members in need of perinatal care

islamic relief worldwide's gaza emergency appeal - provides food, water, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and psychological support

baitulmaal - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, shelter, and medical supplies

gaza mutual aid fund - distributes food, hygiene products, water, and other essential supplies, including financial support. run by @/el-shab-hussein's amazing friend Mona. updates can be found on her instagram.

hygiene kits for gaza - provides hygiene supplies including menstrual products, wipes, and toothbrushes/toothpaste

anera - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine, blankets and mattresses, and psychological care

palestine children's relief fund - provides supplies and support with a focus on children. also has an initiative for lebanon

The Sameer Project provides food and shelter. As you know, the rainy season is persistent and many families have been displaced by the sea. The high tide has caused many to lose their tents, the only shelter they have. So please donate to the Sameer Project! With your support, they can branch out to families across the Strip!

Here is their Linktree, which also includes Venmo and PayPal.

South Gaza Aid:

Refaat Alareer Camp Aid:

North and Central Gaza Aid:

just a reminder to donate to abdul rahman and his family, which includes his infant daughter. hes been fundraising for a while but progress has been going really slow

please help this family, especially now during the holidays

The New York Times, however, does have rules and norms. Schwartz had no prior reporting experience. Her reporting partner Gettleman explained the basics to her, Schwartz said in a podcast interview on January 3, produced by Israel’s Channel 12 and conducted in Hebrew.

Gettleman, she said, was concerned they “get at least two sources for every detail we put into the article, cross-check information. Do we have forensic evidence? Do we have visual evidence? Apart from telling our reader ‘this happened,’ what can we say? Can we tell what happened to whom?”

Schwartz said she was initially reluctant to take the assignment because she did not want to look at visual images of potential assaults and because she lacked the expertise to conduct such an investigation.

This is stunning.

The fear among Times staffers who have been critical of the paper’s Gaza coverage is that Schwartz will become a scapegoat for what is a much deeper failure. She may harbor animosity toward Palestinians, lack the experience with investigative journalism, and feel conflicting pressures between being a supporter of Israel’s war effort and a Times reporter, but Schwartz did not commission herself and her nephew to report one of the most consequential stories of the war. Senior leadership at the New York Times did.

Schwartz said as much in an interview with Israeli Army Radio on December 31. “The New York Times said, ‘Let’s do an investigation into sexual violence’ — it was more a case of them having to convince me,” she said. Her host cut her off: “It was a proposal of The New York Times, the entire thing?”

“Unequivocally. Unequivocally. Obviously. Of course,” she said. “The paper stood behind us 200 percent and gave us the time, the investment, the resources to go in-depth with this investigation as much as needed.”