Southampton professor fights to get family out of Gaza

Suleiman Sharkh, 59, worries daily for the fate of his siblings, nieces and nephews, and extended family who endure life in a makeshift camp in the southern city of Rafah.

The British-Palestinian, who arrived in Southampton as a student in 1988, has launched an online fundraiser to help get his family to safety.

Professor Sharkh, who lectures in engineering at the University of Southampton, said two of his siblings - brother Mustafa and my sister Maryam – made it to Egypt thanks to his help, but others are living in tents without heat in Gaza.

The grandchildren of Suleiman's brother Adnan in the camp in Rafah (Image: Suleiman Sharkh)

He is desperate to see them all to safety.

He said: “Every day I hear people are killed, injured, and have had their homes destroyed in Gaza.

“I am watching the news and trying to call and contact all my family members.

“It has been awful.”

Professor Sharkh added: “My siblings living in Gaza experienced very close bombing to their homes just two weeks into this conflict.

“Their houses have been destroyed.

“My brother has five children and four grandchildren, while my sister has three children and three grandchildren.

“It’s really awful knowing they are all out there living in tents, with no heating, and everywhere is flooded. They left their homes with very little possessions.”

READ MORE: Southampton couple flee Israel after surprise holiday cut short by conflict

Israel started its military campaign following the deadly incursion by Hamas at the start of October last year.

Since then, at least 33,797 people – including more than 13,800 children – have been killed in Gaza.

Professor Sharkh has not seen his family since his last visit to the city in 2014 – and fears he may not see them again.

Suleiman's brothers Adnan and Mustfa makeshift bread baking outside their tent in Rafah (Image: Suleiman Sharkh)

He said: “The bombing has always happened in Gaza, but I was not expecting the scale of the current events.

“I did not expect this level of devastation. Every day I am worried.

“I am trying to contact my family often, but it is not always possible to call them as they have limited mobile phone signal.

“We sporadically send messages every week.”

Professor Sharkh, alongside other members of his family, are keen to help those stranded in Gaza – despite the huge financial cost, and have launched a fundraiser to do so.

You can visit https://gofund.me/ec74b1bd to see the fundraiser. 

He said: “We all hope to get my two siblings and their children out and into Egypt but it is very expensive.

“It cost 5,000 dollars per person to get to Egypt last time.

“We are hoping to slowly raise money to support the rest of the family.”