3-year-old girl with rare genetic disease is allowed to leave Gaza
Sick children are allowed to leave Gaza for the first time in weeks
Julia Abu Zaiter has been paralyzed for months, and her father said if she didn't get out of Gaza she would die. She has been evacuated to Egypt, but her parents weren't allowed to go with her.
(SOUNDBITE OF CLOGS' "GUITAR 13")
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
I have a pretty important update for you on a story we told you on this program last month. It was about a 3-year-old girl with a rare genetic disease trapped in Gaza. Her name is Julia Abu Zaiter. And under the stress of bombings, displacement and lack of medical care, Julia had been paralyzed for months. Her father told me if she did not get out of Gaza, she would die. Well, today, with a lot of advocacy by parents outside of Gaza who have children with the same disease, we can tell you that she was evacuated. But Julia's parents were not allowed to go with her, so they made the heartbreaking decision to send their baby away with her 20-year-old aunt. Both are now in Egypt, where Julia will get medical care.
(SOUNDBITE OF CLOGS' "GUITAR 13")
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