Recovering after the terrible damage done in this war will be a long and painful process, and while there has been some government help and philanthropy from large corporations to rebuild infrastructure, many people still slip through the cracks — especially widows and orphans.
Thanks to our partners we have been able to provide practical help and support to those in need, particularly focusing on those the Bible encourages us to notice: those on the edge, including those who have lost husbands and fathers.
The vast majority of Israelis who were evacuated from the communities surrounding Gaza after Oct 7, 2023, have now returned and the rebuilding is continuing in earnest. Our humanitarian aid team has been helping the families in all manner of practical ways while they were homeless, and now we have been able to plant seeds of hope as they return.
“The children in youth went through such a big trauma. how can we strengthen them and help?” asked Orit Kashtan, who heads up the team.
In addition to providing a basketball court and a children’s playground to help children play again, we have also been working to help families in more personal ways. Our team has the flexibility to be able to support individuals who are in particular need — to be able to bless them in all sorts of ways with whatever they need. For some it is guitar lessons, for others food packages, while others need help with transport and grocery shopping. We are able to hear their requests and help them in all sorts of ways.
What is more, God has led us to meet key individuals, “people of peace” as Yeshua described them in Luke 10:6, people who are open and able to be a relational gateway to the whole community.
“God told us to help the widows and the orphans. And this is why I want to help,” Orit stated. She asked some key people from the communities around Gaza what they needed.
“We need to bring hope to the Gaza envelope. We want to help our families, and we want to be able help others. So, we need help with a playground or sports facilities,” they told her.
They asked specifically for what is known as a “Ninja playground” which is a special kind of play and fitness area with built in obstacles, designed to challenge upper-body strength, grip, and endurance, and which can be enjoyed by children as young as four as well as teens and even adults. So now there is a ninja playground near Gaza, provided by partners of ONE FOR ISRAEL that can be enjoyed by children in the area.
Another project we were able to help with was a special facility for children in the fourth and fifth grade. Those with only one parent often need care after school finishes before their parent comes back from work.
“When they come from school, they have a place that they can just be there and play all afternoon and be together,” said Orit, “and someone is with them, to help them with their homework.”
In memory of the Kutz family who were murdered on October 7, 2023, ONE FOR ISRAEL has built a basketball court and set up a scholarship fund for talented children to go to a sports academy, after the death of Yonatan and Yiftach who so enjoyed the game.
“The basketball court that they are having built will be used to help children like the two brothers, who are talented enough to train in a sports academy,” explains Orit. In this way, the gifts given in memory of the Kutz family will go on to bless many more children into the future.
The bodies of Aviv (54), Livnat (49), Rotem (19), Yonatan (17), and Yiftach (15) were all found together in bed at their home in Kfar Aza, with Aviv, the father, embracing his family. Aviv’s mother Tamar, one of the founders of the kibbutz in the 1950s, died on May 18, 2025, just 19 months after the horrific attack. Community members said she died of a broken heart.
The family were well known throughout the Gaza Envelope for their kind hearts, extreme generosity, and creative initiatives for others. For her 50th birthday Livnat requested that no one should give her any gifts but rather to video themselves doing something kind for others. She never got to see that birthday, but her generous spirit has been passed on, thanks to people like you.
Many are struggling, experiencing post trauma, but by walking alongside these ones who have lost so much we can support them as they slowly heal, and give hope for the future to those who are returning to rebuild their lives.
Picture by Myles Tan on Unsplash
