The Israel Defense Forces’ Civil Administration and the Hadassah University Medical Center teamed up this summer to organize a trip to Jerusalem’s Biblical zoo for Palestinian children and their families from the West Bank.

Many of these children had undergone open heart surgery at Hadassah, with the support of the Medical Center and “A Heart for Peace,” a French Nongovernmental Organization (NGO). Dalia Bassa, Coordinator of Health and Social Affairs for the Civil Administration, has been coordinating the treatment of these children at Hadassah, as well as handling their transportation to the hospital.