Since 1947, 547,000 Palestinian homes have been destroyed in Israel and occupied Palestine. The impact of this on Palestinian children, women and men is incalculable and the destruction is ongoing. Revd Su McClellan details what she witnessed in her latest visit to the West Bank and what Christians can do to respond.

The media reports on Gaza have diminished, but this doesn’t mean the situation is getting better – far from it. Conditions are catastrophic, and our partners there warn that they are getting worse.‍ ‍We’ve the latest update on the health situation there and the headline issues that our partners say need urgent intervention.

The recent years of escalating conflict across the Middle East have not only destroyed homes and communities, but has left many battling with mental health issues from profound trauma, stress, and ever-present sense of insecurity. This spiralling mental health crisis needs urgent intervention – and we and our partners are responding, helping young people as they work to rebuild their lives and build a more hopeful tomorrow. Some have bravely shared their stories with us.

The Climate Leaders programme actively involves children - encouraging them to become champions for change in the environment and their own lives.

Reflection by Revd Su McClellan “There is a temptation as war rages, to scan the horizon of global events for signs of the so‑called ‘end times’ and to fold human suffering into speculative timelines…Nowhere does Jesus ask us to decode global events like cosmic puzzles. Instead, Jesus calls us to presence. To draw near to the wounded, the hungry, the displaced, and the fearful. He calls us to make peace, to shelter the vulnerable, and to love our neighbour as ourselves…”

Video update: What began as a small pilot project in Rahbeh northern Lebanon, to support the economically deprived community there has grown into a flourish farm and dairy. Today, as the Israel-Hezbollah conflict intensifies, those families in Rahbeh are now helping others by sending vital supplies from the farm’s dairy to help some of the over 1 million people now displaced in the country.

“In my 10 years of working as a Partnerships Manager at Embrace, I have borne witness to the most extraordinary chronology of political, economic and social events to befall one tiny Mediterranean country and its people – Lebanon… what has continued to astonish me throughout this period is the seemingly irrepressible spirit of our Christian partners and friends… But the latest regional war in the Middle East is upending everything…”

Across the Middle East, the ongoing conflict has brought immense suffering, uncertainty and loss. Yet even in the midst of fear and destruction, our Christian partners there remain steadfast in their commitment to serve their neighbours.

In light of the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East, Embrace’s Revd Su McClellan reflects on the Bible readings for the Second Sunday in Lent teach us, and what practical steps UK Christians can take to respond. Like Abraham and Nicodemus we are called to trust and reset as citizens of the Kingdom of God. A kingdom that is not built from fear or force but out of love. We really do have a Gospel to proclaim with our lives.