Al Ahli Hospital has been a beacon of light amid the devastation in Gaza, with dedicated medical staff serving patients in great need – despite severe shortages of medicine and equipment. As a fragile ceasefire takes hold, its role will continue to be pivotal as it responds to an enormous volume of medical needs. In this blog, we take a look back at the steadfast service at Al Ahli’s hospital and clinic over the past 15 months.

"The lives of the Palestinians, especially in Gaza, are not collateral damage; they are human beings, enduring unspeakable violence…” words from our Christian partners in Gaza and the West Bank reveal the crushing grief felt after a year of violence, fear, loss and death. But they continue to live out their faith.

St Porphyrius, the first Bishop of Gaza, founded the church in Gaza City that still bears his name. The stories recorded of this life are strikingly similar to those of Christians in Gaza today.

The war in Gaza has now been raging for over 100 Days. Amid such unrelenting death and destruction is it possible to still hold onto hope?

For many years, Embrace’s partners have served to provide medical care for the mothers and children of Gaza, whose health was severely impacted by the blockade. Now Gaza’s children are being disproportionately affected by the current war, as Embrace’s Programmes & Partnerships Manager, Rhiannon, explains.

A Christian in Gaza describes the unrelenting fear, loss, heartbreak, and trauma of the last few weeks.

Embrace’s CEO, Tim Livesey, was privileged to speak with Tim Farron on his weekly podcast, ‘A Mucky Business’. The two Tims discussed the similarities between 9/11 and what is happening in Gaza today, why the conflict in the Middle East is not ‘intractable’, and the pressures facing Christians in the Middle East.

The Christian faith has a long history in Gaza, going back over 1,600 years. Although there are now only around 1,000 Christians left in the Gaza Strip, the Christian community continues to make a deep impact by serving those in need. In this blog, Embrace’s Programmes Manager for Gaza, Rhiannon, writes about her personal experience of the long and rich Christian history in Gaza that has been hidden behind the blockade for the past 16 years.

‘There is so much hurt, pain, shock and terror at the moment, but we can learn from our partners in Gaza and rejoice in the good where we find it, it will help us to keep pushing back the darkness.’ Embrace’s Progammes and Partnerships Manager for Gaza, Rhiannon recalls incredible people that she has met on her visits to our partners there.