TOGETHER — For Julia: Julia & The Abu Zaiter Family’s Story
My name is Amjad Abu Zaiter, and I am writing from Gaza.
Before the war, our life was simple — full of love, stability, and hope for our children. Today, everything has changed. Our home was destroyed completely. Everything we owned is gone. My wife, our daughter Sham, and I are now displaced, trying to survive day by day under extremely difficult conditions.
Our youngest daughter, Julia, lives with a rare neurological disease called Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood (AHC), which affects only one in a million people worldwide. During the war, she became critically ill — running out of medication, without access to medical care, and suffering continuous seizures, dystonia, and paralysis. Without intervention, she would not have survived.
Thanks to PCRF, The White House, and Cure AHC, Julia was medically evacuated to the UAE for treatment in July of 2024. But we were not allowed to go with her...instead she left with her young aunt (my sister), Dareen Abu Zaiter, as her medical escort.
We have now been separated for over a year, living in fear, pain, and constant uncertainty, while she receives care far away from her parents.
What Our Family Is Facing
Winter has arrived, and we are struggling to meet even the most basic needs. Last winter, we were forced to flee our temporary housing urgently; shortly afterward, that apartment was also destroyed, and all of our remaining winter belongings were lost.
Current Needs
• Warm winter clothing for myself, my wife, and my daughter Sham
• Food, clean water, and essential medicines, now extremely scarce and expensive
• A small solar power unit and battery to provide minimal light and phone charging — we have had no electricity for two years
• Rent for a temporary place to live ($1,000/month) after being displaced more than five times
In total, our family needs $2,500 per month to cover rent and basic essentials.
Once the border opens, we will also need help traveling to reunite with Julia in the UAE, and help re-establishing ourselves somewhere safe with access to the medical care she requires.
Why We Are Asking for Your Help
We are a family who lost everything. We are trying to survive winter, displacement, and separation from our sick child — all at once. There is no work, no functioning infrastructure, and no way to earn an income in Gaza.
Your support will provide: Warmth • Safety • Food • Stability • HOPE
Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us get through another day.
From the bottom of my heart — thank you for being a source of hope during the darkest time of our lives. Your donation is not just money.
It is life, warmth, and the possibility of a future for our children.
— Amjad
The Abu Zaiter family includes:
Amjad A.S. Abu Zaiter, Maha M.K. Abu Zaiter, Julia Abu Zaiter, and Sham Abu Zaiter
_________________________________________________________
How Funds Will Reach the Family — Full Transparency
GoFundMe cannot send funds directly to Gaza, and families inside Gaza cannot receive international transfers or PayPal due to the collapse of infrastructure and banking systems.
To ensure the funds reach the family safely and reliably:
• Donations will be withdrawn by Amjad’s brother, Ahmed Abuzaiter, who lives in Wolfsburg, Germany and maintains a functioning bank account.
• Ahmed (full legal name: Ahmed Abuzaiter) will withdraw the funds securely in Germany.
• He will then deliver the support directly to the family in Gaza through trusted local transfer channels that are currently functioning.
• This is the only safe and consistent method for families in Gaza to receive aid at this time.
• This process ensures that 100% of donations go toward rent, food, winter supplies, electricity, and basic survival needs.
_________________________________________________________
A Personal Note from Izzie, Campaign Organizer
My name is Izzie Duval, and I live in Overland Park, KS, USA. I first met the Abu Zaiter family in April 2024 through an AHC support group, as our children both live with the same devastating neurological disorder.
By the time we connected, Julia was already rapidly deteriorating from six months without adequate medical care or medication, due to displacement and the effects of the war. She was experiencing relentless paralysis, dystonia, seizures, and life-threatening complications.
In July 2024, she was medically evacuated from Gaza for urgent treatment thanks to the joint efforts of the White House’s State Department, Cure AHC, and PCRF, with special thanks to Simon Frost (Rare Hope) and Tareq Hilait (PCRF). Without this evacuation, Julia would not be alive today.
Since then, I’ve spoken with the family daily and have supported them as they fight to survive without their daughter, as well as helping to coordinate the best medical care for Julia in the UAE, with the full support of Cure AHC, where I serve as the VP of Patient & Family Support.
This family has survived what no family should ever face.
They have been displaced at least five times — from their home, to South Gaza, to Jabaliya Camp, to Jabaliya Al-Balad, and finally to the beach, where they lived until the ceasefire. They now share a small temporary apartment in Deir Al-Balah with Amjad’s extended family. There is no electricity or running water, and it is very expensive - but it is shelter.
For months, they survived with no aid, at times sharing a single can of tomatoes for an entire day. They have fled bombardments repeatedly. They have lived with no fresh water, no electricity, no internet, no work, and no banking system. Their home and their later rented apartment were both completely destroyed.
And they have endured all of this while separated from their precious 5-year-old daughter, who desperately needs her parents.
For the past year and a half, I have worked closely with this family. With the support of Cure AHC and Palestinian Lawyers for Human Rights we pursued every possible path to help reunite them with Julia — international legal assistance, government appeals, humanitarian outreach, media coverage, and constant advocacy. Every avenue was blocked. Their only option was to survive the war and wait for the border to open.
Against all odds — they survived.
I am helping organize this fundraiser because I know this family personally, I trust them deeply, and I have witnessed their suffering and resilience firsthand. Your support will help them survive winter, meet their basic needs, and hold on to hope until they can finally reunite with Julia.
Thank you for helping this family survive, rebuild, and hold on to hope — until they can be TOGETHER with Julia. ❤️
_________________________________________________________
Disclaimers
• I, the organizer, will not withdraw or handle any of the funds. All withdrawals will be completed solely by Ahmed Abuzaiter (Wolfsburg, Germany).
• This fundraiser is solely for humanitarian family support and is not affiliated with any political organization.
_________________________________________________________
News Coverage about Julia & The Abu Zaiters' Story:
https://news.sky.com/video/israel-hamas-war-how-a-rare-disease-brought-together-two-families-from-the-us-and-gaza-13129043
https://news.sky.com/story/girl-three-with-ultra-rare-disease-denied-escape-from-gaza-for-treatment-13138029
https://www.npr.org/2024/06/28/nx-s1-5022476/sick-children-are-allowed-to-leave-gaza-for-the-first-time-in-weeks
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/10/middleeast/palestinian-patients-evacutation-gaza-war-uae-floating-hospital-mime-intl/index.html#:~:text=The%20nine%2Dmonth%20war%20in,%2Dold%20aunt%2C%20Dareen%20Zeiter.
https://news.sky.com/story/girl-4-with-rare-genetic-disorder-evacuated-from-gaza-but-suffers-huge-seizure-13176835
https://news.sky.com/video/we-feel-a-sense-of-connection-the-us-family-trying-to-save-a-girl-in-gaza-with-ahc-13128954
https://news.sky.com/story/in-washington-dc-and-gaza-two-very-different-families-are-united-by-one-very-rare-disease-13129583
https://www.thirteen.org/programs/pbs-newshour/u-s-families-working-to-save-gaza-child-with-rare-disorder-1715899563/
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/21/1252623082/having-a-child-with-a-rare-genetic-disease-is-difficult-its-even-harder-in-gaza
https://waradana.com/english/article/170416-title-after-being-stuck-in-war-the-uae-ce-uae-cares-for-a-gazan-girl-with-a-rare