**A message from Yousefs sister, Farah*

Yousef Hamid is a 14-year-old boy from Gaza who has been suffering since birth from a rare and severe condition known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. This disease causes extreme joint and bone fragility, along with severe curvature of the spine, making his life filled with pain and repeated surgeries from a very young age.

Yousef has undergone more than 12 surgeries outside of Gaza in an attempt to save his life and help him live more normally. His last surgery was just before the war, in Jerusalem on 28-09-2023. It was a highly complex and dangerous spinal stabilization operation. After the surgery, doctors strictly advised his mother that Yousef must not move on his own due to the seriousness of his condition.

Only two days after returning to Gaza, the war broke out on 07-10-2023. The family was forced to flee from northern Gaza to the south on foot through the so-called “safe corridor,” without a wheelchair or any proper means to transport Yousef. They had no choice but to place him on

**A message from Yousefs fundraising team**

Through the GoFundMe campaign, Yousef’s family is hoping to raise $50,000 — the amount needed to give him a real chance at life. This includes: $10,000 for a critical surgery in Germany to correct the deformities in his foot and restore some of his mobility. $30,000 to cover travel expenses for Yousef and his family of six (about $5,000 per person), as no child of his age and condition can travel without the full

support of his immediate family. $10,000 to help them cover basic living costs and essential medical needs while abroad, since displacement and poverty have stripped them of every resource.

This is not just a number — it is the cost of survival, dignity, and the chance for a young boy to walk, live without constant pain, and dream again For Yousef, this campaign is not just about fundraising — it is about survival. Every donation brings him one step closer to escaping the cycle of displacement, hunger, and untreated illness, and one step closer to a hospital bed where doctors can give him a real chance at life. Funds raised will be split between evacuation/surgery costs and living costs for them family.