About.
“Children are not numbers. They are faces. Names. Stories. And each one is sacred.”
– Pope Francis (1936-2025)
The vehicle that once served as the Popemobile for the late Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem has been granted a vital new mission, consecrated by the Pope himself. In November 2024, the Holy Father personally approved its transformation into a humanitarian instrument, writing to Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm to authorize the project.
Born of that vision, the Vehicle of Hope is now a pediatric mobile health unit designed to deliver lifesaving care to children displaced and injured by the horrors of war. At a time when hospitals lie in ruins and access is gravely limited, this vehicle delivers not only medicine and care, but a powerful message of hope.
The Vehicle of Hope initiative is led by Caritas Jerusalem, in cooperation with Caritas Internationalis and Caritas Sweden, who are converting the Popemobile into a fully equipped mobile health clinic.
The Clinic's Capabilities:
Essential Medical Tools: The unit is stocked with diagnostic instruments, oxygen supply, vaccines, antibiotics, and a cold-chain refrigerator.
Expert Staffing: It is staffed by a dedicated pediatrician and supported by more than 100 Caritas personnel already working in Gaza.
Strategic Reach: This setup enables critical outreach to children in areas where fixed healthcare facilities are no longer accessible or functional.
The mobile clinic is a direct, practical response to the near-total collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system. The humanitarian situation for children is catastrophic:
Casualties and Separation: As of late November 2025, the number of children killed in Gaza has surpassed 20,000. Around 17,000 are unaccompanied or separated from their families.
The Missing: Up to 21,000 children are missing—many believed to be trapped under rubble, detained, or buried in mass graves.
Psychological Trauma: Ninety-six percent of Gaza’s children fear they will die soon, and nearly half say they would rather not go on living.
Caritas Jerusalem is deploying this and additional mobile clinics to strengthen its ongoing humanitarian response, ensuring essential healthcare access for the most vulnerable populations.
Caritas Jerusalem: Resilience and Reach
Caritas Jerusalem was established in 1967 and is part of the global Caritas Internationalis network. It is a Catholic humanitarian organization dedicated to serving the poor and vulnerable across the Holy Land, regardless of religion or background.
In a remarkable display of dedication and resilience, Caritas Jerusalem operates a crucial mission to provide a total of 14 medical teams across the Gaza Strip:
Twelve teams are stationed in the southern regions of Gaza.
Two teams are actively working in Gaza City.
This strategic distribution is designed to maximize the reach of primary health care services throughout the Strip.
The initiative reminds us that in war, humanitarian principles must prevail. The Vehicle of Hope is a statement: that every child has the right to life, protection, and medical care—rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The ceasefire that came into effect on 10 October 2025 in Gaza marks a desperately needed pause in the devastation. It offers long-awaited relief for exhausted, starving, and grieving Palestinians — and solace to the families of Israeli hostages who have lived for months in anguish and uncertainty.
“The cries of joy heard from Gazans and Israelis in these days reflect their shared hope for peace. May this hope quickly become reality through a lasting solution that truly meets the dreams and wishes of both peoples, for the good of all. We urge both sides to honour and implement the peace deal, and need immediate access to get urgent lifesaving assistance to Palestinians in Gaza who have been pushed to the edge of existence. There is a short window of opportunity to provide relief and an end to this inhuman suffering.”
— Alistair Dutton, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis
Caritas Jerusalem’s dedication to both humanitarian aid and peace advocacy exemplifies a holistic approach to crisis response — meeting urgent medical and nutritional needs while working toward long-term stability, dignity, and security.
In a world where stories of suffering are too often silenced, this mission insists that children’s voices be heard and healed.
The Vehicle of Hope stands ready.
By supporting this mission, you help deliver medical care where it is needed most — and, above all, remind Gaza’s children that they are not forgotten.