Before 7 October 2023, there were around 1,000 Christians in Gaza. After nine months of fighting, around one third of that number have left or been killed. Rhiannon de Laune, Embrace’s Programmes and Partnerships Manager, reflects on the personal story of one Palestinian Christian in Gaza and asks what the future might look like for this tiny but deeply rooted community.

It’s been over 8 months since the war in Gaza began. Nader Abu Amsha, Executive Director of Embrace partner DSPR, tells us in this searing and personal blog what the war has meant for his staff (and their families) in Gaza, caught up in the catastrophe themselves but continuing, with extraordinary courage, to meet the needs of a traumatised and suffering population.

“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.