B8 Of Hope

05/06/2026

Some visits just remind you why this work matters.

This week, Geneva had the privilege of welcoming members of two remarkable organizations: Combatants for Peace and EMDR for Peace — both on their way to Amsterdam and Oslo, and both kind enough to stop by.

Combatants for Peace brings together former combatants from both sides — Israelis and Palestinians who laid down their weapons and chose to co-resist injustice and violence side by side, demonstrating that a better future is not just possible but worth fighting for, differently.

EMDR for Peace is a joint Israeli-Palestinian collective of therapists specializing in EMDR — a trauma-healing method. They train other therapists in the technique, creating a ripple effect: each trained therapist becomes a changemaker in their own community. In a region saturated with unprocessed trauma, this work is not peripheral — it is foundational.

We seized the opportunity to bring them together with a group of our key donors and some of our B8 of Hope Next Gen — the next generation of people who believe in this work and want to be part of it.

Moments like these are our booster shot of hope.

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photo: Combatants for Peace

02/06/2026

In a small village south of Ramallah, one woman showed what community leadership truly looks like.

When she received 10 Ramadan food and hygiene baskets through Takadom Palestine تقدم , she didn’t simply distribute them equally. Instead, she carefully assessed the needs of women in her village and redistributed the contents based on who needed what most.

She was even reluctant to take anything for herself, believing others were in more difficult situations.

Her approach is rooted in self-reliance. With a small but productive homestead—chickens for eggs, goats for milk and cheese, and horses to work her land—she is able to support her household while maintaining independence and dignity.

But her vision goes further. She hopes to expand her farm—adding more livestock and planting more fruit trees—so she can regularly prepare food packages for women and children in her community.

She does not see this as a business, but as a responsibility to uplift those around her.

Her story is a reminder that real impact often begins within communities themselves.

B8 of Hope is proud to support programs that enable this kind of community-led resilience and impact.

29/05/2026

Don’t miss the latest episode of Unapologetic: The Third Narrative, a conversation with Nisreen Shahin, founder of Makers Tech for Good—a Palestinian NGO finding creative and affordable solutions for people living with physical disabilities.

A remarkable woman doing remarkable work. https://makers.ps/

Her voice is exactly the kind of voice Unapologetic: The Third Narrative exists to amplify.

UTTN is a podcast that builds an inclusive community for those seeking real solutions to the polarization around Palestine and Israel—not by simply mediating between sides, but by transforming the conversation itself.

Hosted by Palestinian activists Amira Mohammed, from the ’67 territories, and Ibrahim Abu Ahmad, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, ’48, UTTN is committed to nonviolence, honesty, and the possibility of imagining something different.
That is precisely why it matters to us.

Changing the conversation—refusing tired polarization and creating space for new narratives—is at the heart of what B8 of Hope does. That is why we are proud to have sponsored the entire second season of Unapologetic: The Third Narrative, with a particular focus on Palestinian women: activists, peacebuilders, and changemakers whose voices carry decades of lived experience, resilience, and vision.

We so rarely hear from these remarkable women—and yet they are among the most determined architects of a different future. These episodes let them speak on their own terms, about their own realities.

Listen to Nisreen’s episode, and explore Season 2 of Unapologetic: The Third Narrative wherever you get your podcasts.

27/05/2026

Throwback: From a Geneva Retreat to Conversations That Still Matter Today

In February 2024, B8 of Hope hosted one of the most meaningful retreats in our Geneva workspace — a gathering whose impact continues to resonate today.
We welcomed 10 Israeli and Palestinian alumni from New Story Leadership (NSL), a Washington, D.C.-based organization that has long brought young Israeli and Palestinian professionals together through immersive experiences in the United States.

After October 7 and during the early days of the war in Gaza, despite the trauma and devastation, a group of NSL alumni refused to give up. They kept meeting over Zoom, determined to keep dialogue alive and to think seriously about “the day after” — working together on ideas for Gaza’s reconstruction and a future political and social framework.

B8 of Hope gave them what Zoom could not: a physical space to meet.

For seven days, our Geneva workspace became theirs. The 10 participants — from the West Bank, Gaza, Israel, and among Palestinian citizens of Israel — were hosted by families in Geneva. They worked intensively to finalize what was first published as the Phoenix Framework and has since evolved into SHAPE — a framework that is not only a product of that moment, but one that continues to be presented, promoted, and discussed today in spaces where the future of Gaza and the region is being taken seriously.

They also engaged with the Swiss political landscape through a presentation by local politician Julien Lévy, and met with members of B8 of Hope’s Executive and Advisory Boards. Hiba Qasas shared her peacebuilding work through Principles for Peace.

Looking back, this retreat was not simply a meaningful week in Geneva. It was part of the journey of a framework that continues to travel, evolve, and contribute to serious conversations about reconstruction, governance, dignity, and a shared future.

Despite war, grief, and physical separation, these young leaders chose to keep imagining that future. And B8 of Hope chose to make that possible.

Sometimes, with modest means and genuine trust, meaningful transformation begins quietly — and continues far beyond the room where it started.


Photo: New Story Leadership

22/05/2026

Last week, Combatants for Peace held their Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony—a unique gathering where Palestinians were joined by Israelis and internationals to commemorate the events of 1948, when more than 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes, became refugees, and saw their villages and cities destroyed.

For many Palestinians, the Nakba is not only a historical tragedy, but an ongoing reality of displacement, loss, and the feeling that the past has never fully ended. This year’s ceremony focused on the concept of Sumud: remaining on one’s land despite occupation, displacement, violence, or hardship—while continuing daily life, culture, education, activism, and hope despite adversity.

A few weeks earlier, Combatants for Peace, together with the Parents Circle–Families Forum, also held the Joint Memorial Ceremony on Israel’s official Memorial Day. Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians came together to share their grief and recognize a simple but profound truth: pain knows no boundaries, and tears are the same.

These sister ceremonies, supported by B8 of Hope, are powerful and deeply humane moments.

At B8 of Hope, we believe peacebuilding begins with empathy, humanization, and mutual recognition. By listening to one another’s stories and acknowledging one another’s pain, we create the foundations for a different future rooted in dignity, equality, safety, justice, and self-determination for all.

These courageous ceremonies invite Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals alike to confront the traumas of the past and their lasting impact—not in order to remain trapped in them, but to choose recognition over denial, shared humanity over separation, and to keep building spaces where another future can slowly emerge.

Well done to Combatants for Peace and all those brave enough to keep creating these spaces of humanity.



Photo: Combatants for Peace

20/05/2026

“Before I was in the choir, I didn’t know any Arabs at all… Through their songs and through the dialogues with them, a new world opened up for me.”

In The Jerusalem Youth Chorus, young people come together through music and dialogue, creating a space to meet one another beyond stereotypes and separation.

One participant shared a “lightbulb moment” after hearing a fellow singer speak about their family’s Holocaust history:
“It resonated deeply because my people are suffering too… It shifted my understanding of the profound human need for safety.”

These moments of connection remind us that when people are given the space to truly listen, perspectives can shift and empathy can grow.

This is how understanding begins, and why B8 of Hope is proud to support programs like these.



Photo: Jerusalem Youth Chorus

13/05/2026

From Dialogue to Action.

In 2024, Israeli Tom Kellner and Palestinian Gazan Seba AbuDaqa met during an online dialogue session organized by the renowned Neve Shalom – Wahat al-Salam.

Both based in Germany, they quickly chose to move beyond dialogue and into action.

Combining their strengths — Tom with her networks in Israel and beyond, and Seba with her deep connections inside Gaza — they built a community of donors and mobilized a team on the ground, made up of family members and trusted local partners still in Gaza.

They started by fixing what could be fixed.

That is how Clean Shelter was born. Their mission: to provide immediate relief to displaced communities in Gaza through essential sanitation and shelter solutions — including tents, toilets, community structures, and access to clean water.

They are among our newest grantees, and we are proud to support these two women and the Clean Shelter team.

From dialogue to action — sometimes, it’s just one step.

Photo: Clean Shelter

05/05/2026

We were deeply moved this past Thursday to participate—both in person and online—in the It׳s Time أجا الوقت הגיע הזמן Coalition Peace Summit in Tel Aviv.

Thousands of Jewish and Palestinian Israelis came together under the call “It can be. It must be. It will be. Peace,” representing around 85 peace organizations.

The message from the stage was not abstract. It was a call for Israelis and Palestinians—across civil society—to work together toward a future rooted in dignity, equality, and security for all. That commitment was reflected in who was present and who was included: activists, bereaved families, youth leaders, and community organizers, alongside Palestinian voices from Gaza and the West Bank brought into the room through live, life-size projections, ensuring that those most directly affected were part of the conversation shaping what comes next.

For those present—including our Deputy Director, Elie—and for those watching from afar, what stood out was the scale. So many familiar organizations, partners, and activists in one place. Not isolated efforts, but a broad and growing ecosystem, one that, especially since October 2023, is stepping forward more visibly and more collectively.

Many of the organizations supported by B8 of Hope were part of that collective voice, including bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families calling for an end to the cycle of violence, and protective presence activists standing alongside Palestinians in the West Bank in the face of ongoing attacks. We were also proud to support the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, whose opening performance of A Song for Peace set the tone for the evening.

Alongside them were many others shaping this space—including religious leaders across traditions calling their communities back to values of humanity and compassion, and a strong presence of young people stepping into the responsibility of shaping what comes next.

The sheer diversity of voices united in their call for peace is testament to the vital work of civil society in Israel and Palestine, strengthening an ecosystem that is not only responding to the present, but building the conditions to shape a different reality on the ground.

This work is often unseen and can feel isolating—which is why moments like this matter. They remind those doing this work, and those supporting it, that they are not alone—and that together, they are stronger.

Let’s amplify these voices, support this work, and help strengthen a narrative that insists there is another way.

Watch the summit here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/Z6nOTkXzQHI

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30/04/2026

S. is a six-year-old girl living with severe cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Due to significant mobility limitations, she has spent her entire life at home.

She is cared for with deep devotion by her parents, but without professional guidance. She has never had access to essential support or treatments that could help develop her capacities and reduce her suffering. Without a proper wheelchair or supportive equipment, her parents carry her everywhere.

In Qusra, where S. lives, movement restrictions and limited services make even basic healthcare difficult to reach. Treatments such as physiotherapy or occupational therapy remain inaccessible.

During a visit by Physicians for Human Rights Israel’s Mobile Clinic, S. was finally examined by specialists. Reflecting on the encounter, Dr. Barry Danino shared:

“On examination, it became clear that S. requires complex hip surgery. I was able to connect her family with a Palestinian orthopedic surgeon I trained with years ago. But even if she undergoes surgery, her recovery will require long-term rehabilitation — care she is unlikely to be able to access under current movement restrictions ...”

PHRI’s Mobile Clinic brings doctors, medications, and referrals directly to communities where access is restricted—setting up temporary clinics and providing essential care that would otherwise go unmet.

B8 of Hope is proud to support programs like these, which work to ensure that access to care is guided by need, not circumstance.

27/04/2026

We are so pleased that the “Voices of Women” 1325 project has officially begun. Led by Women of the Sun, this initiative amplifies Palestinian women’s voices through training, dialogue, and storytelling, strengthening their agency at every level of society—an essential pillar of women’s meaningful participation in conflict resolution.

B8 of Hope is proud to support this project, alongside the City of Geneva’s Solidarity Fund.