Israeli aid group opens clinic for children in Gaza
Israeli aid group opens medical clinic for 10,000 children in Gaza refugee camp
The Times of Israel
25 August 2026
By Sue Surkes and ToI Staff
Set to open September 1 in crowded Al-Mawasi, facility will provide vaccinations, consultations, rehab for children with disabilities, education services with anti-hate messaging
A teacher educates children at the al-Mawasi camp in the Gaza Children's Village. (Courtesy)
The Israeli humanitarian organization NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief announced on Tuesday the opening of a new medical clinic that it will support at the Mega Academy of the Gaza Children’s Village (GCV), a humanitarian project aiming to give Palestinian children nutrition, healthcare, and trauma-informed support in addition to education via a curriculum devoid of hateful messaging.
The clinic, set to open on September 1 in the Al-Mawasi camp, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians live in tents in packed and squalid conditions, will be staffed by GCV nurses and doctors, while NATAN will offer telemedicine support.
It will provide preventive screening, pediatric primary care including vaccinations, specialist consultations, and dedicated rehabilitation support for children with disabilities, serving up to 10,000 children.
The project is managed by NATAN CEO Alice Miller, an aerospace engineer and former Israeli Air Force officer. Miller is nationally known for her landmark Supreme Court case in 1995, which opened the gates of the air force to female fighter pilots. This decision paved the way for today’s female combat soldiers and made Miller a household name.
“Every child deserves access to basic medical care, no matter where they were born or what circumstances surround them,” Miller said. “This clinic is a direct response to a need we have seen firsthand at the Gaza Children’s Village.”
Miller told Ynet news that most of the organization’s work in Gaza is conducted “remotely” due to Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian activities in the enclave.
Nasma Ayad fans her daughter, Jana Ayad, who is malnourished, according to medics, as she receives treatment at a hospital in Gaza City, amid a worsening hunger crisis, July 29, 2025. (REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa)
Neurosurgeon and scientist Dr. David Hasan, founder of the Gaza Children Village, is also a collaborator.
“These children need a place to gather and learn, a meal so they aren’t left with empty stomachs, and physical care for bodies enduring extreme humanitarian conditions,” said Hasan. “This clinic gives us that last piece — the physical care they need.”
NATAN, named after late Israeli humanitarian and peace activist Abie Nathan, has for over two decades deployed small teams of volunteer medical and emergency professionals to assist communities whose local systems have been overwhelmed by crises.
Alice Miller, trailblazer for Israeli women in combat roles, is currently the CEO of Natan Worldwide Disaster Relief. (courtesy)
In November 2025, NATAN began an initiative to provide feminine hygiene products to Gazan women and girls who lacked access to them amid displacement and other hardships caused by Israel’s military offensive, launched in response to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.
According to NATAN’s website, the organization consists of over 1,700 volunteers, including doctors, nurses, dentists, psychologists, social workers and emergency professionals, and operates in over 20 countries.
The project’s emphasis on a hate-free curriculum comes amid longstanding criticism of educational materials used in Gaza for allegedly promoting antisemitism, glorifying violence and denying Israel’s legitimacy.
Copyright 2026 The Times of Israel
