As the recent war engulfed much of southern Lebanon, Maya had to flee her home with her family and endured 10 terrifying days with no shelter except their car as airstrikes struck across the country. Still unable to return to her damaged home, the experience has left her struggling with a complex mix of emotions, but she’s found help thanks to one-to-one intervention sessions run by our partner Tahaddi.

Badly injured in an Israeli airstrike moments after giving birth, Aisha was separated from her new baby. For months she feared he had been killed.

My name is Mousa and I work with children with disabilities at the Princess Basma satellite unit in Gaza City. This year has been so very hard for us…

When Tuqa’s father realised his daughter needed extra support to overcome the additional challenges she faced, he was determined to do all he could to help her. But accessing disability care in the West Bank, particularly because of the severe travel restrictions, is extremely difficult. It was only through the Outreach Programme run by Embrace partner the Princess Basma Centre that they were able to get the specialist assessment and interventions Tuqa needed.

When Belal learnt he had a serious heart condition and needed open-heart surgery, the news was doubly devastating. Without surgery he was unlikely to survive – but he had no way of paying for an operation. Thankfully he was able to find help through Embrace’s partner the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Young Khaled has had a lot to deal with in his sort life. His rare neurological disorder is causing progressive physical palsy and has left Khaled with profound hearing loss. Then, during the Israel-Hezbollah war he lost his home in an airstrike. He and his family have found support through the Learning Centre for the Deaf.

An estimated 12,000 children in Gaza have new disabilities caused by injuries they have suffered as a result of the current war. 5-year-old Malak is one of them.

Dr Maher, Medical Director of Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, tells us what the last year has been like for him, his family and the hospital’s staff.

“Without Tahaddi’s help and God’s grace, my children wouldn’t have an education, and I might have succumbed to cancer.”