By Nativia Bühler

The ICEJ is humbled to stand with some of Israel’s most vulnerable children in the aftermath of Iran’s recent missile barrages; children whose lives depend on constant care, medical support, and stability in their fragile lives. These are children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities. Many cannot speak. Some must be fed through tubes or rely on machines to breathe. Most spend their days in wheelchairs, and all of them require round-the-clock, specialised attention.

For these children, calm and predictability are not luxuries — they are lifelines. Their fragile progress in mobility, communication, and interaction depends on carefully structured routines. Even a small disruption can undo years of therapy. In conflict situations, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation warn, disabled children face the gravest risks: medical decline, trauma, and loss of hard-earned abilities.

In June 2025, those warnings became reality. A missile struck a care center housing 300 children and young adults. Windows shattered. Ceilings collapsed. Essential medical and therapeutic equipment — beds, lifts, monitors, hydrotherapy machines — was destroyed. A beloved “snoezelen room,” once filled with colours and sounds that calmed children with autism and complex needs, lay in ruins. Soft play mats and sensory tools were buried beneath glass and debris.

And yet, amidst the devastation, there was also courage. Thanks to a swift emergency response, not a single child was lost. Caregivers carried fragile children down stairwells, some still attached to medical devices, refusing to leave anyone behind. Their bravery turned potential tragedy into what one caregiver called “a series of miracles.”

Within weeks, new routines emerged:

• 101 kindergarten children were relocated to a safer residential building.
• 70 toddlers were moved into a repurposed underground parking garage, now a functioning daycare.
• 100 school-age students continued therapy in an adapted hydrotherapy wing.

But these emergency measures came at an unforeseen cost. With no time to prepare, funds were drained for temporary adaptations, while the destroyed, life-sustaining equipment must now be urgently replaced.

Last year, ICEJ helped by providing a specialised ambulance for the center, which continues to save lives today. Now, we are again honoured to act: sponsoring 14 new nursing beds, a ceiling-mounted patient lift, and emergency repair of damaged equipment.

Government support will cover structural rebuilding, but it does not replace the very tools these children depend on daily. This project directly impacts 300 children and their families. They cannot advocate for themselves. They cannot campaign for their needs. They rely entirely on the compassion of others — on us — to give them the dignity of a safe bed, the possibility of therapy, and an environment that allows them to learn, grow, and feel secure again.

“We are truly overwhelmed by the generosity of your friends,” shared one leader at the center. “It is a beacon of hope for us.”

The ICEJ remains committed to restoring not only buildings, but also the peace and stability these children need in order to thrive. With your help, we can replace the equipment that sustains them and rebuild a world where they can learn, grow, and simply feel safe again.

Together, let us give Israel’s most vulnerable children a future filled with dignity, comfort, and hope. Support this project today at: help.icej.org/crisis