Winston Facilitates Medical Evacuation of a Critically Wounded Girl

With tireless advocacy, a team of Winston attorneys helped secure permission for 12-year-old Maz Damo to be evacuated from Gaza and flown to Texas for life-saving surgery.

The Winston team, which was led by Washington, D.C. of counsel Dainia Jabaji, worked in partnership with pro bono client FAJR Scientific to evacuate Maz. FAJR Scientific is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering surgical and medical expertise to vulnerable populations and works on the ground in Gaza providing medical care to civilians.

On June 8, Maz was critically injured when a rocket hit her home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. A volunteer doctor who treated Maz in Gaza said, “It was one of the most shocking cases I’ve seen. Half of her cheek was missing and her bones were exposed.” Unable to provide the extensive surgeries that Maz required, FAJR Scientific reached out to Dainia for help working with the U.S. Department of State to secure permission from the Israeli government to evacuate Maz to the United States.

Dainia and Winston associate Tony Busch worked behind the scenes to marshal support from the State Department, the World Health Organization, Israeli contacts, U.S. Senators, National Security Council members, and other humanitarian organizations on behalf of Maz. While Maz awaited permission to leave Gaza, her wounds became infected and doctors said she would die if not allowed access to surgery to repair her face and jaw.

On November 13, Maz, her mother, and her sister were evacuated from Gaza. They are now in El Paso, Texas, where Maz will receive a series of surgeries to repair her face and jaw.

The multi-office Winston team that supports FAJR Scientific in various aspects of its humanitarian work includes Farah Alkayed, Shiza Arshad, Tony Busch, Jason Campbell, Angela Chan, Soukaina El Mekkaoui, Deeraiya Islam, Dainia Jabaji, Dennis Kelly, Imad Khan, Eric Knickrehm, Sara Monzet, Pete Morgan, Hamza Rashid, Sabrina Rishmague, Daniella Roselló, Cari Stinebower, and Mia Uhunmwuangho. 

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