Yousef is a thirteen-year-old boy from Gaza who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) — a rare and painful genetic disorder that weakens the body’s connective tissues, the “glue” that holds everything in place: skin, joints, blood vessels, and even internal organs. For a child, this means that the simplest movements can cause severe pain, repeated joint dislocations, fragile skin that tears easily, and bones that grow with deformities. Living with EDS is not just about pain — it is about constant medical vulnerability.

Children like Yousef often require repeated, complex surgeries to correct bone deformities, stabilize fragile joints, and protect vital organs. Without these urgent surgeries, his condition can progress dangerously, leading to permanent disability, life-threatening complications, or even organ rupture. For Yousef, every delay in medical care is not just a matter of comfort, but a matter of survival. His young life depends on timely access to specialized surgeries and continuous medical support — needs that are nearly impossible to meet under the current blockade and devastation in Gaza.

Yousef and his family, like so many others in Gaza, have been displaced countless times over the past year and a half. In January, when the first stage of the ceasefire was announced, they tried to return to the North — only to find that their home no longer exists, as the entire fifth floor of their building was reduced to rubble by relentless bombing.

Since then, the family has been forced to take shelter in a single small room of a nearby building. But even in war, exploitation thrives: the landlord has now demanded three months’ rent upfront — £390 ($500 US) per month — a sum far beyond their reach. Once again, they are homeless.

For Yousef, who is already battling the painful and exhausting effects of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, these harsh realities of displacement, hunger, and poverty have made his fragile health even worse. Every day without stability or access to proper nutrition and medical care pushes him further away from the urgent surgeries he desperately needs, surgeries that could prevent his condition from worsening and

save his young life.

Despite his young age, Yousef has already made many attempts — with his family — to secure medical referrals that would allow him to travel abroad for the complex surgeries he urgently needs. But under siege and war, every request has been delayed, denied, or left unanswered. Each passing day without treatment brings him closer to dangerous complications of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: worsening bone

deformities, joint instability, and even risks to his internal organs. The war has not only stolen his home and his childhood, but also his chance at timely medical care. While other children dream of school, play, and safety, Yousef’s dream is much simpler — a chance to reach a hospital where doctors can perform the surgeries that could save his life.

Despite all these hardships, Yousef and his family have not given up hope. After countless failed attempts to secure medical referrals abroad, they have taken the courageous step of creating a GoFundMe campaign in the hope of raising enough support to allow Yousef to finally travel and receive the urgent surgeries he needs.

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.