Then a Caritas team visited newborns at Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital when they met Aisha. She and her husband entered the maternity ward and searched desperately from crib to crib for their baby. When the doctors finally showed them the baby, their emotions took over. Aisha broke down in tears. She hadn't seen her baby since she gave birth. 

“This is the first time I see my son,” she said. He was just 4 months old.  

The family lived in the Al-Shate refugee camp in northern Gaza. She had just given birth when the bombs rained down on them. Aisha was so injured that those around her thought she was dead. She was therefore wrapped in a white body bag and prepared for burial. Her son was taken to a hospital.  

On the way to the cemetery, she suddenly woke up and vomited. She was rushed to the nearest intensive care unit. Since she had no phone, and since the situation in Gaza was very chaotic, she was unable to locate the child for weeks. She traveled from hospital to hospital looking for the child, fearing that he was dead.  

She had lived with the fear for many months, until this moment in the maternity ward of Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital. She finally got to see him again.  

Coincidentally, a representative from Caritas present at the hospital that day, and attended the meeting.  

Dr. Asma invited Aisha and her family to visit Caritas office in Al-Qarara the next day. She received treatment for her scars, medication, infant formula, painkillers and warm blankets to help her family through the winter.  

Aisha's story reminds us that in the midst of war, loss, and flight, we find moments that give hope.

Give a Christmas gift that saves lives!