Las Cruces man pleads for help evacuating family from Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)– As the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage in the Middle East hundreds of thousands of miles away, Mohammed Eltanany is pleading for help as he tries to get his family out of Gaza.

Eltanany is a doctor in the Borderland. He left Gaza before the war broke out in October, but his younger brother and family were not able to, and they are stuck.

“Whenever I get a chance to talk to them, I hear stories about people dying everywhere. They are just falling on the streets, and there is no place to even bury them,” Eltanany said.

It costs thousands of dollars to evacuate his family from Gaza. Since he could not count on all the funds, he began a GoFundMe page in March, and in a matter of two months, he has been able to raise $36,143.

Eltanany said Las Cruces has become a home away from home.

“I was surprised by how supportive this community was,” he said. “Even at the University, a lot of students stepped up, and they helped me raise the money,” Eltanany said.

Hoping to be reunited with his family, he traveled to Egypt recently but was not able to get them out of Gaza because the border closed.

Eltanany has worked with various organizations to help get his family out, and right now, his family is hoping to be next in line to be evacuated.

The family has been displaced numerous times. They are facing hunger struggles, and going back to their hometown is not an option at this point.

“They have lost everything,” Eltanany said.

His dream is for his family to live a peaceful life before it is too late.

“Just waking up to the peaceful day where there is no shooting, there are no rockets falling on them, where they have food on their plate. Just a safe place to live in. And just to go back home, maybe as a safe place where they can just go to school like regular kids,” said Eltanany

If you are interested in helping Eltanany here is the link to the GoFundMe page: Fundraiser by Mohammed Eltanany : Help us evacuate our family from Gaza (gofundme.com).