I was sleeping maybe 2-3 hours a day.

When the Israel Hamas war broke out, many Palestinian refugees living abroad, like Hassan Aboba, had just one focus.

To get my family out of Gaza as soon as possible. This is my sister, Sara. Sara was studying international law.

His mother and five sisters, he says, saw 20 relatives die in a single day.

It was very difficult to imagine what they were going through at the time, especially when communication was lost, sometimes for weeks.

As a US resident in Buffalo, New York, Aboba tried everything.

I came to the conclusion that no one will be able to help get them out of Gaza. That's when we started the GoFundMe.

It's a strategy being taken by many.

People now with Palestinian passports are able to travel through Egypt by paying upwards of $10,000 per person.

This money, according to Aboba, is going toward getting families onto an approved travelers list to cross into Egypt. But this does not include transportation, food, clothing, or shelter, which varies family to family and can add thousands of dollars.

Today, I'm asking the public to help me rescue my family.

Abolba took to social media, even reaching out to influencers.

Really, his message stuck with me.

Anisab Mahmoud is a Palestinian-American social media activist.

I've received, at this point now, it's been thousands of messages from different families in Raza. I I had to verify that before I post those GoFundMe.

Solo activists or grassroots collectives like Operation Olive Branch have emerged to help verify and promote these direct aid campaigns by reaching out directly to the family or relatives and cross-checking details through social media.

Choose a family. Share it with your family and friends on Instagram, on Facebook. I think people sometimes forget how far out their reach may be.

Aboba ended his Ramadan fast this year with his sister Yara Aboba by his side. While he also raised enough for his mother and other sisters to make their way to Egypt, their futures remain uncertain.

They overstate in Egypt, and they are unable to receive any funds from me.

Though Aboba and his sister are safe in Buffalo, their peace, too, feels tenuous.

I'm very grateful that I survived, but I struggled with feelings of guilt for leaving my family and friends behind. I hate how the world can be so cruel and unfair.

And there is still such a great deal of need right now. Operation Olive Branch says it's trying to help more than 800 families who are in Gaza right now. But raising money, that is just part of this battle. They also have to get that money to where it needs to go. Hassan telling us that you basically have to have someone in Egypt to help facilitate that. Thankfully, he had a friend who was able to help his family with that. But as we know, that is not the case for everyone.

Thanks for watching. Stay updated about breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or follow us on social media.