Had Nour Zaqout known that a “genocide” would start in Palestine, she would not have left her country to study in Malta last September, preferring “to die together” with the rest of her family.

But, now that the 27-year-old Palestinian student has been separated from them, the only thing she can do to ensure their survival is to try to raise funds to get them out of the war-torn Gaza Strip across the border into Egypt.

“I do not want to be the only survivor,” Zaqout said, as she hears of entire families of friends being wiped out in her neighbourhood and knows it is a miracle hers is still alive.

The place where Zaqout’s family lives has been razed to the ground.

Feeling helpless as she watches the news on TV from Malta and only able to get through to her relatives now and again, she set up a gofundme campaign, ‘Escaping Genocide: Gaza Evacuation for My Family’, a few days ago as a last resort and her only hope of saving them.

So far, Zaqout has raised around $4,600 of her $70,000 goal – it is an “open secret” that evacuees need between $7,000 to $10,000 to get into Egypt and the cost at the border keeps rising, she said.

“My family is facing an unimaginable choice: to evacuate Gaza and seek safety. However, the evacuation travel fees through the Rafah, the only border crossing from Gaza to Egypt, amount to the substantial sum of $7,000 to $10,000 for each person.

“Knowing that I have 10 family members, including my parents, siblings and grandmother, the financial burden is overwhelming,” she said.

“The funds raised will only cover the evacuation costs and this is all I want. Your support will not only help ensure the physical safety of my family but will also provide them with a chance to rebuild their lives in a more secure and stable environment,” Zaqout implored in her campaign message.

I cannot just watch my family die.

She left home to pursue her scholarship studies in Malta just two weeks before the “aggression on Gaza” broke out on October 7 and she has not seen her family since.

“Little did I know that my decision to continue my education abroad would coincide with a devastating war that would threaten the lives of my beloved family,” she wrote in her campaign that is “reaching out to you in a time of great urgency and desperation”.

Now, she is finding it hard to attend classes for a master’s degree in humanitarian action, where she is studying genocide “while nothing is happening in the world…”

Zaqout said it was frustrating and distressing.

“I do not sleep at night. I cannot ignore the news. I cannot just watch my family die. I have lost everyone else. This is the least I can do…

“The pain and grief I feel for my family back in Gaza are indescribable. The relentless bombardments, the constant fear and the uncertainty have taken a toll on their well-being.”

Zaqout’s youngest sister, Ghena, who is critically ill from drinking dirty water.

To ensure their safety, Zaqout’s family, like many others, recently had to make the “heartbreaking” decision to evacuate their “dangerous” neighbourhood in the middle of the country, which she preferred not to disclose, and which was under imminent threat.

It has already been targeted and most of her neighbours and friends have been killed.

Most of her family has fled to Rafah city, in the southern part of Gaza, hoping to find refuge, but, even there, the situation is dire and unsafe, she said.

Her father has stayed home, along with her uncles, she continued, explaining that there is nowhere to go. With winter and heavy rain, no water, food and electricity, people prefer to stay in their houses, even if these are in grave danger of being bombed and the whole area she lives is under threat.

Nour moved to Malta in September, two weeks before war came to Gaza. Photo: Nour Zaqout

“I am expecting my house to be next today,” Zaqout said. It was already partially demolished and she said it was a miracle her family is still alive while the house next door, belonging to her best friend, was hit, killing everyone, while she and her mother were in Egypt.

“The ongoing conflict has not only disrupted daily life but has also plunged the region into a humanitarian crisis with severe shortages of basic necessities,” Zaqout continued about the loss of access to essential services.

“Water scarcity compounds the crisis, as damaged infrastructure leaves many without access to clean water, posing health risks and worsening hygiene challenges.

“My little sister, Ghena, 10, has contracted gastroenteritis due to the lack of clean water and proper sanitation facilities,” she said, uncomfortable with naming her other siblings.

“I am reaching out to you, our friends, family and compassionate strangers, in the hope that together we can provide the means to evacuate my family. Every dollar counts and your contribution will go directly towards securing safe passage for them out of this dangerous and unstable environment,” she appealed.

“Please stand with me in this critical moment. Your generosity can make a profound difference in the lives of my family members who are enduring unimaginable hardship.

“Share this campaign with your network, donate what you can and let us bring my family to safety – together.”