Abuhatzeira Family (משפחת אבוחצירא) is a Moroccan Jewish family. Its roots trace back to Rabbi Samuel Elbaz (שמואל אלבז ) , who was born in Jerusalem and later moved to Damascus, Syria, where he was eventually buried. Later on, his descendants immigrated to Morocco. Rabbi Samuel was a student of Rabbi Hayyim Vital (חיים ויטאל ) in the 17th century. There are three versions regarding the origin of the nickname Abuhatzeira (אבוחצירא / Mat Master):

1. Rabbi Samuel Elbaz was known for wearing a distinctive hat made from a special type of Mat used for selling sugar in the markets, hence his nickname.

2. Rabbi Samuel Elbaz used to weave unique mats to make a living. One day, an evil witch captured him and held him in her home, intending to kill him and use his blood to strengthen her dark spells. Rabbi Samuel convinced her not to kill him, claiming he could weave valuable mats that she could sell in the market for a profit. When she agreed, Rabbi Samuel wove a mat on which he wrote in Hebrew: "Save me from the witch who wants to kill me." As planned, the witch's servant went to sell the mat in the market. A Jew saw the mat and, after reading what was written on it, immediately bought it and delivered it to the head of the local Jewish community, who quickly organized a rescue mission to save Rabbi Samuel Elbaz.

3. One day, Rabbi Samuel Elbaz asked the captain of a ship to take him for free on a voyage from Istanbul, Turkey, to Jaffa, as he was poor and had no money. When the captain refused, Rabbi Samuel sat on his mat by the shore and began studying the Torah. As the ship departed, the mat miraculously slid into the sea and began to float on the water. The captain, stunned by what he saw, begged Rabbi Samuel to board the ship with him, hoping that the rabbi's presence would bring blessings to him and his ship . As a consequence of the captain's initial refusal, Rabbi Samuel declined the offer and continued his journey across the sea on his magical mat until he safely reached Türkiye, God willing.

A family bearing the surname Abuhatzeira (אבוחצירא) has lived in the Gaza Strip for over 150 years. Are they Jews who converted to Islam? Or are they Muslims who admired the miracle-working rabbis of the Moroccan Jewish Abuhatzeira family? And what is the story behind the shared Jewish and Muslim celebrations at a single grave?

Despite the ambiguity surrounding the relationship between the Muslim Abuhatzeira family in Gaza and the Moroccan Jewish Abuhatzeira family, both families agree on one central tradition: that the family's ancestor floated on the sea's surface atop a magical mat. However, the dispute over the tomb of the family's ancestor in Egypt remains unresolved.

It is said that Dr. Ze'ev Zivan (זאב זיוון ) visited Gaza in the 1990s in an attempt to investigate the origins of this mysterious connection, but his efforts did not produce any definitive answers.

In his book Gaza Then and Forever (עזה מאז ולתמיד ), Israel Shapira (ישראל שפירא ) rejected the legend that a member of the Jewish Abuhatzeira family converted to Islam and later founded Abuhatzeira mystical dynasty (חצר ) in Gaza, stating: "It's as if we were saying that Moses Maimonides...