“The scale of the destruction I witnessed is unbelievable.” Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, reflects on what he saw during his recent visit to Gaza.

As a Jewish-Israeli, I carry much pain in our violent reality, but perhaps my truer human pain is the fear of taking a public stance against the continuation of this war, against violence from both sides, and most of all the loss of human compassion. 

Finding a job in Iraq is incredibly difficult, as Kat from Embrace’s programmes and partnership team explains. She recently travelled to northern Iraq to visit a project that is helping kick start new business enterprises and supporting young entrepreneurs as they rebuild the economy of their country.

While the attention of the world media has been on the catastrophic situation in Gaza, life in the West Bank has also become intolerable. Embrace’s David McColl shares his experiences of meeting partners for the first time in the West Bank - and draws parallels between their compassion and the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Our Christian partners in the Middle East reflect on what the message of Easter means for them, and for the world, this year.

“It’s important to be angry but to channel it in the right direction. Anger is different from hatred. If we are not angry about what is going on now, there is something wrong with our humanity.”

In the heart of the Egyptian desert there’s a Christian retreat centre where women can go to explore their identity, heal from trauma, and find purpose.

“Fundraising is not a charity discipline, or marketing exercise; it is, in fact, a ministry,” says Ian Livett, Embrace’s Director of Fundraising…

The instability of the Middle East is one of the major reasons our partners are needed. While they faithfully address the symptoms, a joined-up global approach is needed to tackle the root causes of conflict. Embrace is proud to be a member of Together with Refugees – a broad coalition of over 600 organisations calling for a kinder, fairer approach to supporting refugees in the UK.