Julia a three-year-old Palestinian girl with an ultra-rare genetic condition has been forced backwards in her quest to leave Gaza for life-saving treatment.
Abu Zeiter, a three-year-old Palestinian girl with a rare genetic condition, has encountered further delays in her attempt to leave Gaza for critical medical treatment. Julia, who suffers from Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood (AHC), had to move with her family from their tent in Rafah to a supposedly safer area in the north, further away from the border they hoped to cross.
Her mother, Maha, shared their challenging situation: "We were preparing to leave Gaza for treatment. Just as we were about to travel through the Rafah crossing, the Israelis occupied the area and warned of an invasion."
Maha expressed her dilemma: "I was caught between two fires, unsure whether to risk traveling for my daughter's treatment or to find another place to flee. I didn’t know what to do."
Their struggle is a reflection of the plight of many children in Gaza who need urgent medical care. Julia and her family have connected with the Frost family, whose daughter Annabel also has AHC, a condition affecting only about a thousand people worldwide. Known as the "time bomb disease," AHC causes paralysis and seizures, which can be fatal without medication.
Simon Frost, Annabel's father, has been working tirelessly in Washington DC, rallying global support to evacuate Julia. The Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) is now spearheading efforts to help her.
Local PCRF staff coordinated the family's move out of Rafah to a new tent site further north. On Friday morning, they organized the delivery of medication and solar panel chargers.
Maha said, "We had to leave Rafah because the bombing became too intense. I didn’t know where to go. When it got too dangerous, I knew we had to leave, but I didn’t know where."
Currently, no one is allowed to leave Gaza. The Israeli and Egyptian authorities, who control each side of the Rafah crossing, are blaming each other for the ongoing closure.
With a full Israeli assault on Rafah expected, approximately 600,000 displaced people have moved back north. The constant displacement is mentally taxing but currently offers some physical safety.
For now, Julia, her family, and many others remain trapped in Gaza after more than seven months of conflict.
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