In Times of War, Choose Compassion
Over the past several months, we’ve found ourselves waking up to headlines that feel more and more impossible to process. The violence unfolding in Israel and Palestine is devastating. And while we aren’t foreign policy experts, we are human beings; parents, partners, neighbors, and we feel a responsibility to speak up, not with political analysis, but with something that feels increasingly rare in this moment: compassion.
What’s happening is a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of families are grieving in Israel after the horrific Hamas attacks on October 7th. Hostages are still missing. Lives were taken in unimaginable ways, and the trauma is real and lasting.
At the same time, in Gaza, a mass humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled. Access to food, water, electricity, and medical care is scarce or nonexistent. The UN has said famine is imminent, and in some areas, already underway. Children are starving. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Civilians, many of them young, many of them mothers and fathers just like us, are bearing the weight of a conflict they did not choose.
Over the past six years, we’ve partnered with USA for UNHCR to help raise awareness of the challenges refugees face around the world. From Syria to South Sudan to Venezuela, we’ve learned just how devastating displacement can be, especially for children. But it’s important to acknowledge that the UNHCR’s mandate does not extend to Palestinian refugees, due to the existence of a separate organization: UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which has supported Palestinian refugees since 1949. So while USA for UNHCR is not actively working in Gaza, it doesn’t mean the humanitarian need there is any less urgent.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from years of working on behalf of refugees, it’s this: in times of war and conflict, it’s always the most vulnerable, often children, who suffer the most. They are the ones who carry the trauma. They are the ones who go to bed hungry. They are the ones caught in the crossfire of a world they didn’t break but will have to grow up in.
The truth is: both Israeli and Palestinian families are suffering.
This isn’t a moment to take sides. This is a moment to take a stand for peace. For ceasefire. For the immediate protection of innocent lives.
We believe in a future where every child can grow up safe and free. Where grief doesn’t become generational. Where justice and empathy can coexist. We believe in the power of compassion over cruelty. And we believe that as global citizens, especially those of us with the privilege of safety, it’s our job to care loudly.
There is no easy solution, and we don’t pretend to have one. But we can amplify the human stories being lost in the noise. We can donate to humanitarian aid organizations doing lifesaving work on the ground. We can write to our elected officials asking them to support ceasefire and aid. And we can teach our children that every life, no matter where it’s lived, matters.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, helpless, or unsure what to do: you’re not alone. But even quiet voices can join a chorus. And if that chorus is calling for peace, we want to be part of it.
Ways to Help
If you feel moved to take action, here are a few places to start:
UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency) – Provides emergency food, water, and medical aid to Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the region.
Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – Operating in Gaza and the West Bank, delivering critical medical care.
Save the Children – Providing food, shelter, and psychosocial support to children impacted by the violence.
IsraAID – An Israeli-based humanitarian aid organization providing relief to communities affected by crisis, including trauma care and refugee support.
Write to Your Representatives – Urge them to call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and for continued humanitarian assistance to both Palestinians and Israelis.
Thank you for caring. Thank you for reading. And thank you for believing, like we do, that a more peaceful and compassionate world is possible.