Supporting Families

For years, our community has been connected with families and young people in Gaza whose lives have been transformed by ongoing war, displacement, and deprivation. Many of these relationships began long before the current crisis, when Gaza’s youth were known for their creativity, physical expression, and resilience. What began as mentorship and cultural exchange has become long-term mutual aid as the region continues to endure catastrophic destruction.

Since the siege began, families we support have lived without reliable income, consistent access to food or water, or secure shelter. They send us updates describing neighborhoods reduced to rubble, hunger spreading across communities, and the physical and emotional toll of survival. Many people describe growing thin and weak from prolonged deprivation and the constant presence of drones, airstrikes, and sleepless nights.

One community member told us:
“We survive only by God’s strength. The explosions are relentless, the drones never leave, and safety is never guaranteed. Twice we walked away from a place that was bombed seconds later.”

Even during announced cease-fires, bombings continue in “adjacent areas,” reminding everyone that no truce is ever fully trusted.

Recently, families asked for support to repair shelters ahead of winter storms. We were able to send assistance just as heavy rains began. Entire tent encampments are now soaked—mattresses collapsing under water, blankets drenched, sand turning to mud. Yet from Gaza we continue to hear:
“Thanks be to God for everything.”
This spirit of gratitude and endurance sustains life in conditions that should be unimaginable.

Families Displaced Across Borders

One of the families we support comes from a Bedouin lineage whose elders were displaced during the 1948 expulsion. Before the current war, they lived in a refugee camp in Gaza, tending small orchards and vegetable gardens.

Since the bombardment began, their home has been destroyed multiple times. The family eventually managed to reach temporary safety in Cairo shortly before the border closed. Most of their extended relatives remain trapped in Gaza, and the family lives with daily grief, longing, and fear for their loved ones.

Although safer in Egypt, they face immense precarity. Palestinians in Egypt lack legal status, making them ineligible for government assistance, public schooling, or healthcare. Sponsors in our network currently support their rent, food, and urgent medical needs. We also mobilized a community fundraiser to enroll the children in a school operated by the Palestinian community in Cairo.

Even outside Gaza, the effects of trauma are profound. Each family member experiences symptoms of post-war stress, and many suffer from untreated health issues.