“A beacon of hope in desperate times”: Children receiving life-saving aid and supplies in Gaza, says Tearfund
Children and vulnerable people in Gaza are receiving life-saving supplies and treatment at field clinics thanks to Tearfund’s local partner.
At one clinic, in Khan Younis, Amina*, 33, cradles her son in her lap. Medhat* is only six years old and has already been forced to flee his home and fifteen other makeshift shelters as his mother desperately tries to keep her family safe. Living in fear, in tents, in the middle of winter had a devastating effect on his health, causing terrible body and stomach pains and severe vomiting.
“The suffering during the war is beyond words,” Amina says, her voice heavy with emotion. “We endure so much – psychological scars, displacement, poverty and hunger.”
With most hospitals and health centres still not functioning due to the conflict1, Amina began to lose hope, but Tearfund’s partner, International Health Partners (IHP), was able to deliver supplies to a field clinic run where Medhat was treated for an acute fever, caused by exposure to the cold.
“We’ve suffered so long without access to even basic medicines, painkillers, children’s treatments, ointments for skin conditions,” cries Amina. “But these field clinics have changed that. They’re a beacon of hope in such desperate times. I’m deeply thankful to everyone who supports this clinic – it means the world to families like mine.”
Tearfund’s regional director for the Middle East, Safa Hijazeen, says: “Tearfund is responding to the very grave humanitarian situation in Gaza. We’re seeing and hearing people’s stories, that their most basic needs are not being met.
"The numbers can feel overwhelming – nine out of ten people don’t have enough food, water or basic health care2. Each one is a very real person with a very real need. And we can help them, one at a time.”
People like Maha*, aged just 11, who developed a bacterial infection that caused her hair to fall out. Her mother, Shamaila* says “When I walked into the clinic, I saw a sign saying ‘Where hope finds a way,’ and I felt a glimmer of that hope rekindle in me. Medicine is as vital as food and water in our struggle to survive.”
The conflict has drastically affected supply chains and driven up costs. Tearfund’s partners have been able to reach more than 178,000 people in Gaza and the West Bank, providing emergency health care and urgently needed psychosocial support.
Thousands more are being helped in the wider region with critical non-food items (like blankets for the cold) and cash support.
Safa Hijazeen says: “The ceasefire is important but it’s not enough for the firing to cease, we need peace to hold. We need reconciliation for broken hearts and bodies and hopes. The futures of children like Medhat and Maha are relying on it.”
For more information about Tearfund’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, or to donate, please visit tearfund.org/middleeast or call 020 3906 3906.
ENDS
*Names have been changed for protection. Photos are available, if used with the supplied credit, upon request.
For further information, hi-resolution images or interview requests please call Sarah Mitchell on 07592 659986 or email [email protected].
For out of hours media enquiries please contact 07929 339813 or [email protected].
1 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-18-february-2025
2 https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-18-february-2025
Notes to editors
Tearfund is a Christian charity that partners with churches in more than 50 of the world’s poorest countries. We tackle poverty through sustainable development, responding to disasters and challenging injustice. We believe an end to extreme poverty is possible. For more information about the work of Tearfund, please visit www.tearfund.org.
Tearfund is a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee and also part of the DEC Middle East appeal.
