As Christmas approaches, Friends of the Holy Land is asking Christians to turn their minds to the city of Bethlehem, where the Christmas story first began, and the wider region as conflict continues.
For children across the world, the celebration of Christ's birth will mean presents, nativity plays, and meals with family and friends, but children in the Holy Land will spend their Christmas worrying about bombing in the region and where their next meal will come from, says Friends of the Holy Land.
Speaking at the launch of its Christmas Appeal, CEO Brendan Metcalfe said that the Holy Land's children are being robbed of their chance for a normal childhood, and the ongoing conflict has denied children many of their basic needs.
It is proving impossible to keep children sheltered from the reality of the situation, with parents from across the West Bank reporting worrying signs of the heavy toll the ever-present danger is taking on children. Many experience nightmares fed by the fears they live with day-to-day, while others have lost their appetite and do not even want to play with friends anymore.
"My oldest daughter, only six and a half, asks me why they are killing children in Gaza," one father explained to workers visiting the office in Bethlehem.
"It's impossible to shield children from the horrors of war, and this constant exposure to death and destruction is severely impacting their mental health."
Education has also become a casualty, with a whole generation at risk of missing out on some of their most formative years of school. According to Metcalfe, "Since October 2023, many children are unable to attend school due to travel restrictions, school fees, or because they're simply too frightened to leave their homes.
"On a visit to Bethlehem earlier this year, a father in Bethlehem explained to me, 'They are fearful that the military could come at any time.'"
Figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Education claim that there have been 69 attacks on schools and almost 2,350 incidents that have impacted students and teachers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the last year.
"Our team on the ground sees the impact every day. We have funded critical therapy and counselling services to provide regular interventions, equipping more children with the tools to navigate the ongoing trauma of their daily lives," Metcalfe said.
"We continue to fund school fees as many families, devastated financially by this war, are at breaking point and can't afford these fees. This academic year we have committed to help twice as many vocational students in each area of study where we know there are labour shortages - 90% of our graduates find work.
"Through this work not only do we inspire in these students the hope of a brighter future, but we help build a generation of skilled young people, ready and equipped to rebuild their communities."
Friends of the Holy Land has ongoing projects in Israel and Jordan, and is providing direct financial support to two churches sheltering Christians in Gaza City, enabling them to stockpile essential supplies.
Father Fadi Diab, Chairman of Friends of the Holy Land's local committee, added, "While other international organisations may remain stuck at borders or struggle to establish local connections on the ground, our local team based in our offices in Bethlehem and Ramallah know the families at breaking point personally."
