IUM Professor seeks help to bring family from Gaza to Maldives

Dr Hassan Al Kordi, husband and father of two sons and two daughters between the ages of 13 and 20, have appealed to the people and authorities of Maldives to extend any possible assistance towards bringing his family from Gaza to the Maldives at the earliest.

His family have so far survived the continued attacks on Gaza and remain there while he has been working here in the Maldives as a Professor teaching Arabic in the Islamic University of Maldives.

Dr Hassan spoke to Mihaaru today, explaining that transporting his family out of Rafah, where they reside in, costs an extremely high amount, adding that so far his attempts to raise these funds have been in vain.

"They are asking we pay USD 5,000 to 10,000 per person for travel out of Gaza. But I have no way of paying that. I have nothing. Even my house has been destroyed in the attacks. I need help from someone in this," he appealed.

Hassan has been working in Maldives for eight years. His family also came to stay with him here in 2018. However, near the end of 2019, the borders closed just after they had travelled to Gaza, effectively disallowing their travel back to the Maldives. Since then, the elder two of his four children began tertiary education, making the parents decide to delay the move to Maldives until they completed their education.

Hassan, currently in Egypt, asserted that he is doing all he possibly can to facilitate moving his family out of Gaza at the earliest. He said that once that is achieved, he hopes to arrange visas and live in the Maldives with his family.

The eldest, Moaz, has completed his studies in multimedia. Menna is studying in the field of anesthesia and intensive care. Hassan's wife is a primary school teacher.

Hassan's family is spending this Ramadan in hunger, unable to even source food for iftar or suhur. Hassan refuses to give up, extending his energy daily into efforts wherever he can to seek ways of transporting his family to a place of safety and security.

"I am trying to bring them all here somehow. Even if the attacks stop, there is nowhere left for them to go. Our home has been destroyed in the attacks. If this war goes on, and if they are unable to leave Gaza, I do not know if I will see them again. They might die through a bombing, or even through famine."

The family initially lived in Al Bureij in Gaza. However, after their home was damaged beyond the point of inhabitation, they moved to the wife's parents' are of Khan Younis. With difficulties of finding accommodation there, they later moved to Rafah.

Israel is now attempting to enter Rafah.

"If the attacks on Rafah commence, my family may not be saved," he said.