Gwynedd woman's race against time to rescue family in Gaza

Emily Fares from Llwyngwril, Gwynedd, has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to 'save' her family.

Since the start of the Israeli bombardment, Emily’s family have been displaced, their home in Khan Yunis destroyed and forced onto the streets with no access to food, water, or medicine.

She has five uncles and five aunties [aged 70 to 43]. A total of 21 cousins whose ages range from 15 to 33 and there are eight children belonging to family members in Gaza. Their ages range from seven-months-old to 15-years-old. There are four boys and three girls.

Liz Saville Roberts MP with Emily Fares (Image: Plaid Cymru)
Emily said on the GoFundMe page, which has already raised £9,000: "We are desperately reaching out for help to save our family living in Gaza. They are currently displaced, searching for somewhere to shelter.

"I was born in the UK however, every immediate family member on my father’s side have lived permanently in Gaza, and continue to do so. It was important to share the names of all of our family, we are proud of their names. And so often in the media, Palestinians are presented as numbers. However, they live in fear and part of that is fear of becoming targets and/or complicating their exit from Gaza. We therefore have removed their names to protect them. This will not stop us sharing their story… as far and wide as we can.

"Since Oct 7 2023, we have had to witness tens of thousands of people (mainly women and children) being killed in horrific circumstances, through constant Israeli bombardment.

"Like almost every other person in Gaza, our family are trapped and unable to leave a confined area in which there is no safe place. These include my father’s siblings, the eldest of whom is 71, and their children and grandchildren. The ability to find medical treatment, food, and clean water is all but impossible, and in the circumstances, it has now become a lottery as to who lives and who dies.

"Before the start of the war, the family had a life, jobs, university and school. It is clear to anybody watching this nightmare unfold, that life as they knew it, is gone, never to return. They have been forced to flee their family home in Khan Yunis, where they had lived for over 90 years, then displaced to Rafah."

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Emily added: "It is so heartbreaking being told by our family 'we are so close to death' and yet we are powerless to help them in any way. The only hope we do have is to rescue them, or as many of them as possible. To save their lives before it is too late. This becomes more urgent with every relative that is killed.

"The only option available is the crossing into Egypt however, this is an unregulated and financially extortionate process.

"They are destitute and cannot possibly afford the crossing.

"The cost is currently estimated at £7,000 per person. In the meantime, we are also exploring all other possibilities with the support of those who work in immigration law and supporting refugees."

Those able to support the fundraising page can donate here.

Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, which takes in Bala, has met with Emily. She is urging Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to reconsider establishing a visa scheme to reunite displaced Palestinians with family members in the UK.

Emily's family have since split-up. Half of them are on the streets of Rafah seeking shelter from the bombing whilst around 16 are thought to be confined to a single room on a farm with no access to water, food, or communication. 

Fears are mounting for their safety ahead of a planned Israeli incursion on Rafah. 

Ms Saville Roberts MP said:  "They’ve been forced onto the streets in a desperate attempt to find shelter from sustained bombing by Israeli forces. There is no clean water, food, or access to medicine. The situation on the ground is dire. They are under siege in a warzone.

"For nearly six months, Wales and the rest of the world has witnessed unimaginable horror and suffering in Gaza. Entire families killed, neighbourhoods turned to rubble, the total collapse of hospitals, power plants and water facilities.

"Emily has now resorted to crowdfunding to raise funds to secure her family’s safety.

"I call on the UK government to work with international partners and reconsider establishing a family reunification visa scheme for Palestinians with family members in the UK.

"The international community must use all the tools at their disposal to protect civilians from death and destruction. Any scheme must include the right to return to Gaza.'

"The brutal bombardment which has killed over 29,000 Palestinians, nearly two thirds of them women and children, and displaced countless others, must come to an immediate end. It’s high time the UK government heeded growing calls and back an immediate ceasefire."