Serving Gaza’s children against all odds
August 2025
The Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre satellite unit, based at Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City and supported by Embrace, is continuing to provide rehabilitation services for children with chronic conditions and post-trauma injuries.
Currently, the team of eight sees on average 70-75 children per week. They follow a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, offering expert interventions to enable the best chance of recovery and development for Gaza’s children. Here, they describe their work and shine the spotlight on two inspiring staff members:
As the war continues, our greatest challenge lies in providing therapeutic and rehabilitative services to children under difficult conditions that directly hinder our ability to deliver the necessary care. The war has not only disrupted the continuity of services, it has also been a major factor in the deterioration of the health of many Palestinian children. There has been a notable increase in cases of malnutrition, contagious skin diseases, rickets, and cerebral palsy caused by premature birth, which itself is linked to declining maternal health and growth delays due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Our team at the therapeutic Unit in Al-Ahli Arab Hospital faces tremendous difficulties in ensuring the children’s safety and maintaining their physical well-being under these harsh circumstances. Frequent and sudden service interruptions caused by the war hinder case follow-up and negatively affect children's progress. The situation is further complicated by parents’ inability to provide a suitable home environment to implement the therapeutic guidance and instructions given for their children.
Finding hope amid daily challenges and shrinking safe spaces
Even so, we remain committed to providing services with the utmost care. As one united team between Gaza and Jerusalem, we strive to ensure ongoing communication and support. Weekly video meetings are held between the Gaza and Jerusalem teams to exchange expertise, enhance the quality and efficiency of services, and provide moral, technical, logistical, and medical support from the Jerusalem staff. Despite it all, our goal remains unchanged: to restore every child’s right to healthy, proper development and to offer them the chance for a better future. Our services continue against all odds, and we believe that the direct and ongoing collaboration between our teams is the key to our success in this vital humanitarian mission.
In times when daily challenges grow and safe spaces shrink, the stories of individuals who continue to strive and move forward become a true source of inspiration and hope. From within our Satellite Unit at Al Ahli Hospital, we shine a light on two remarkable journeys of team members; Musa, a social worker, and George, a play and activities specialist, who, despite difficult circumstances, have continued to pursue both academic and professional growth.
Balancing dedicated professional services to children and their families with higher education and future ambitions, Musa and George embody resilience, commitment, and a deep belief that investing in people and in their own growth must never stop, even in the most challenging environments:
Musa, social worker at the Princess Basma Centre:
“Willpower creates miracles, especially in the conditions we live in here in Gaza. I chose to study Strategic Leadership and Management because I believe real change begins with conscious, strategic leadership. Despite power cuts, poor internet access, and the difficulty of balancing work and study, I continue forward, driven by a strong sense of responsibility to the children and families I serve.”
George, play and activities specialist at the Princess Basma Centre:
“Change starts with deeply understanding people’s pain. Studying during conflict, with frequent internet and electricity cuts, has been difficult, but I held onto my routines because they gave me a sense of stability. What I learn is never just theoretical; I apply it every day in my work at the JPBC’s Satellite Unit. My dream is to build sustainable psychosocial support programs, especially for children and women in Gaza.”
The people of Gaza are living through an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Israel’s response to the terrible events of 7th October 2023 has led to indiscriminate civilian suffering. Each day that the war in Gaza continues, the needs mount and human suffering increases. Please donate to the vital work that Embrace supports in Gaza through our Gaza Crisis Appeal.