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Forced to flee in Gaza — 15 times.
Fifteen times Amina packed what little she had and moved between Khan Younis, Nuseirat and Rafah, in search of safety for her three children.
“The suffering during the war is beyond words,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion.
Like others, the family endured displacement, poverty, hunger and the psychological scars caused by war. Sheltering in tents, with little protection from the scorching heat of summer, chill of winter or surrounding unhygienic conditions, Amina’s children began to sicken.
Her youngest son, six-year-old Medhat, started showing alarming symptoms — body aches, abdominal pain and persistent vomiting for a week. The war’s impact was magnified by the chronic shortage of essential medications in Gaza.
Amina tried caring for her child in their tent but his condition worsened.
Desperate for help, she took her son to the Anera field clinic in Khan Younis, a project actively supported by World Relief’s partner International Health Partners. At the clinic, the pediatrician diagnosed Medhat with acute fever caused by exposure to cold and provided medication free of charge.
Compassion met the desperation and courage of a mother.
“The care was exceptional,” said Amina. “And the fact that the medicine was free — it was a blessing. There are times when my children fall sick, and I can’t afford to take them to the doctor or buy medicine.”
“We’ve suffered so long without access to even basic medicines — painkillers, children’s treatments, ointments for skin conditions,” said Amina. She added, “But these field clinics have changed that. They’re a beacon of hope in such desperate times.”
Amina’s child is one of more than 199,000 individuals that World Relief and partners have helped across Gaza, the West Bank, Egypt and Lebanon since conflict erupted in 2023. Thousands more desperately need help.
As humanitarian corridors reopen during a fragile but promising ceasefire, there is an unprecedented opportunity to send aid to Gaza. Will you respond?
Together, we can reflect God’s love through our presence and generosity. Like Advent candles lit one by one, each act of generosity can drive back the night. Your gift can fan the flicker of hope in families who feel forgotten. As you consider the impact of your generosity, here are three things to know about sending humanitarian aid to Gaza:
- The trauma runs deep: Two years after conflict erupted across Israel, Gaza and other parts of the Middle East, a fragile but promising peace is beginning to take hold. The recent agreement has halted attacks, released the remaining Israeli hostages and reopened long-blocked humanitarian corridors — allowing aid to begin to reach families who have endured unimaginable suffering.
Still, the scars of this conflict run deep – with more than 67,000 lives lost in Gaza, nearly 2 million people displaced, infrastructure destroyed and entire communities across Gaza and the West Bank struggling to recover from the immense physical destruction, grief and psychological trauma left in its wake.
- World Relief is committed to continue responding: For two years, alongside supporters like you and partners on the ground, World Relief has responded with compassion and urgency across Gaza, the West Bank, Egypt and Lebanon. Now, with renewed access and a window of stability, we are committed to continuing lifesaving interventions while also supporting communities as they rebuild.
Our partner, International Health Partners is providing critical medical supplies to those affected by the conflict. Another partner, The Shepherd Society — the charitable branch of Bethlehem Bible College — is concentrating its efforts on distributing food and clean water to families facing severe malnutrition.
- We are there for the long run: With your partnership, we can help families move beyond survival toward thriving futures where, as Isaiah 65 promises: “People will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.”
The impact of World Relief and our partners in the region since 2023 include:
- Medical Support: With International Health Partners and local partner Anera, we supplied essential medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to serve 82,700 individuals across Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. Supplies included cancer medications, insulin, antibiotics, mental health and psychosocial support supplies and water purification tablets.
- Emergency Relief and Nutrition: With ZOA, we provided 104,000 people in Gaza with ready-to-eat meals, food parcels and essential household items.
- Safe Water and Sanitation: In partnership with Water Mission, we solarized three reverse osmosis systems, built 50 latrines. The water systems supported 1,950 people and the latrines served up to 2,500, helping to restore safe water access in Gaza.
- Food and Clothing Assistance: In partnership with Tearfund Deutschland and Lifegate, more than 5,200 people in Bethlehem and the West Bank received food and clothing to help sustain families and strengthen community solidarity.
- Comprehensive Care in Egypt: In partnership with a local Egyptian church, we provided food, rent support, long-term medical care and transportation assistance to more than 2,800 displaced Palestinians in Egypt.
- Sustainable Support in Lebanon: With Heart for Lebanon, displaced families received food, healthcare, education and emotional and spiritual care, helping them begin to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.
Continue the Journey With Us
As humanitarian corridors reopen, this is an unprecedented opportunity to invest in lasting peace and flourishing — to meet urgent needs, rebuild lives and strengthen communities.
Your gift today will help rebuild lives in Gaza and the West Bank, reminding families across the region that they have not been forgotten.
Please also join us in prayer — for peace to take root, for healing to begin and for every family in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank and across the Middle East to experience restoration, hope and flourishing that only God can bring.
Together, through faith and action, we can be a part of God’s redemptive work, helping communities rebuild from the rubble and witness his renewal made real.
Shreya Shukla Thornton is the Senior Content Manager at World Relief. With over 15 years of experience in communication, she enjoys forging a connection through storytelling. She holds a master’s degree in English from the University of Calcutta and a master’s in strategic communication from Regent University.
Jocette Lee
