74,228 Killed and 175,188 Injured — Three Years of War Have Eroded Families’ Resilience and Deepened Dependence on Assistance
As the War on the Gaza Strip Marks Three Years and Enters Its Fourth Year, Ministry of Social Development Calls on the International Community to Intervene to Curb Widening Poverty, Displacement, and Growing Protection Needs in Gaza
Ramallah – The Ministry of Social Development stressed that, as the war on the Gaza Strip marks three years and enters its fourth year, its consequences can no longer be measured solely by the scale of destruction and human losses, but also by the profound changes it has caused in the lives of Palestinian families, including an unprecedented rise in poverty and displacement, loss of income sources, and growing protection and care needs, while the war continues and the burdens borne by the population continue to increase.
The latest data, as of 3 October, indicate that the number of people killed has risen to 74,228, while 175,188 people have been injured. These figures reflect only part of the accumulated human cost of the war and its consequences, including the loss of family breadwinners, family separation, and a growing number of people requiring social and psychological care and long-term rehabilitation.
The Ministry stressed that the situation of persons with disabilities and those injured represents one of the most significant long-term challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 43,000 injured people have sustained potentially life-changing injuries, including approximately 10,000 children, while the number of amputations has exceeded 5,000, in addition to tens of thousands of injuries requiring ongoing rehabilitation and care services.
Older persons are also facing extremely difficult conditions. According to the latest data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 109,000 people aged 60 years and above were living in the Gaza Strip in mid-2026, amid repeated displacement and difficulties accessing medicines, care, and essential services. Many also live with chronic illnesses or limited mobility, further increasing their vulnerability during emergencies.
The Ministry stressed that three consecutive years of war have exhausted families’ ability to cope. Many have lost their homes, jobs, savings, and sources of income and have become increasingly dependent on assistance to secure food, medicines, and daily necessities. The latest food security projections indicate that more than 1.4 million people, approximately 67% of Gaza’s population, are expected to face Crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity through the end of the year, including approximately 212,000 people at Emergency level.
The Ministry emphasized that these conditions require the situation in Gaza to be addressed as a protracted social protection crisis rather than merely a temporary humanitarian emergency. This requires combining food and cash assistance with protection, psychosocial support, and care services, alongside education, economic empowerment, and the restoration of livelihoods, helping families regain a degree of stability and independence rather than remaining dependent on emergency assistance.
With winter approaching, the Ministry warned of increasing risks facing displaced families, many of whom have spent extended periods in tents and temporary shelters. It stressed the urgent need to accelerate the entry of shelter materials, tarpaulins, insulation materials, blankets, and winter clothing and to ensure that they reach the families most in need before weather conditions worsen.
The Ministry stressed that the continued entry of commercial goods does not compensate for the limited flow of humanitarian assistance, particularly amid the collapse in the purchasing power of thousands of families. It emphasized that the availability of goods in markets does not mean that families can afford them, and that continued humanitarian funding and expanded cash assistance are essential to protecting the most vulnerable groups.
The Ministry further emphasized that the National Social Registry serves as the primary reference for identifying families, their needs, and levels of vulnerability, while the Unified Social Assistance Portal provides a tool for organizing and coordinating interventions, reducing duplication, and ensuring that resources are directed to eligible beneficiaries in a more equitable and transparent manner.
The Ministry of Social Development called on the international community to provide sustainable and flexible funding for relief, protection, education, economic empowerment, and rehabilitation programmes, and to ensure the regular flow of humanitarian assistance and essential supplies. It stressed that, after three years of war, the response must move beyond managing daily needs towards protecting people and restoring their capacity to recover.
The Ministry concluded by stressing that the completion of three years of war does not make the situation in Gaza a normal reality. Rather, it reveals the scale of exhaustion affecting families and society and increases the responsibility to protect civilians and ensure their rights to food, housing, education, care, and a life of dignity.
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On the International Day for the Elimination of Child Marriage, MoSD Affirms: Protecting Girls Begins with Education, Protection, & Family Empowerment
Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that child marriage cannot be addressed in isolation from the broader social protection system, as it is linked to multiple factors, including poverty, school dropout, domestic violence, loss of parental care, displacement, and weakened protection networks. The Ministry explained that its role includes protecting children and girls at risk, providing case management, family interventions, psychosocial support, and referral services, and connecting families with assistance, essential services, and economic empowerment programmes. It also coordinates with relevant authorities when the safety of a child or girl is at risk. The Ministry places the best interests of the child and protection from exploitation and abuse at the heart of its child protection services. The Ministry stressed that preventing early marriage also requires protecting families from poverty and economic shocks, supporting girls' continued access to education, raising awareness of their rights, and strengthening families' ability to cope with pressures without resorting to practices that may expose girls to long-term physical, psychological, and social risks. The issue is particularly concerning in the Gaza Strip, where the Ministry warned that the loss of parental care, displacement, extreme poverty, and the declining capacity of extended families to provide care and protection increase children's vulnerability to various forms of exploitation, including early marriage. In this context, the Ministry continues to work with local and international organizations involved in child and women's protection to strengthen early intervention, referral pathways, alternative care, and psychosocial support, alongside assistance to the most vulnerable families to reduce the risk factors that may contribute to early marriage. The Ministry called for child marriage to be addressed as a child protection and human rights issue requiring coordinated action among families and social, educational, health, and legal institutions. It also called for increased investment in girls' education, protection, and empowerment to safeguard their right to grow, learn, and make decisions about their future freely and safely.
On World Children's Day, MoSD: Palestinian Children Face Harsh Realities of Loss, Displacement, Violence, & Deprivation
Ramallah – On the occasion of World Children's Day, observed annually on 20 November, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that Palestinian children are facing extremely harsh conditions amid the continuing consequences of the Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip and escalating attacks, displacement, home demolitions, and movement restrictions in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. These conditions have deprived children of their lives, families, shelter, education, care, and safety. According to available United Nations data, at least 21,700 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip, while approximately 45,000 have been injured, including more than 11,000 children who have sustained life-altering injuries. Meanwhile, thousands of families continue to experience repeated displacement and deprivation of essential services. In the West Bank, including Jerusalem, children continue to face attacks, forced displacement of families, and damage to schools, homes, and infrastructure. More than 1,700 children have been displaced since the beginning of 2026 as a result of settler violence, movement restrictions, and demolitions. The Ministry stressed that the consequences of war and occupation extend beyond immediate casualties to include bereavement, family separation, hunger, school dropout, child labour, violence, exploitation, acquired disabilities, and psychological and social distress. These risks require a comprehensive and long-term child protection response. The Ministry explained that child protection is a central pillar of its work, implemented through Child Protection Departments in its directorates. These departments receive reports, assess levels of risk, provide case management and family follow-up, facilitate referrals to specialized services, and intervene in cases of violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Their responsibilities also include protecting children engaged in labour or begging, children who have dropped out of school, and children in conflict with the law, in coordination with relevant government authorities and partner organizations. In the Gaza Strip, children's protection and care needs have intensified significantly, particularly among orphans, children deprived of parental care, separated and unaccompanied children, and those requiring psychosocial support. In cooperation with its partners, the Ministry is working to provide alternative care, social follow-up, sponsorship programmes, psychological support, and food, health, and in-kind assistance, while strengthening and restoring child protection services across the Gaza Strip. The Ministry emphasized that protecting children is inseparable from protecting their families. Accordingly, child protection services form part of a broader social protection system encompassing food, cash, and non-food assistance, health insurance, education, school bags and stationery, psychosocial support, services for persons with disabilities, and family economic empowerment. These interventions aim to reduce the risks associated with poverty, displacement, loss of income, and family instability. The Ministry of Social Development called on the international community, United Nations agencies, humanitarian organizations, and donors to provide sustainable support for the Palestinian child protection system. It urged continued funding for alternative care programmes, orphan sponsorship, psychosocial support, education, nutrition, and rehabilitation, alongside support for Palestinian national institutions capable of reaching children and families and ensuring sustained follow-up. The Ministry concluded by emphasizing that World Children's Day cannot be merely an occasion for celebration while Palestinian children are deprived of their most fundamental rights. It stressed that protecting children begins with safeguarding their right to life and extends to ensuring their rights to family care, shelter, food, education, healthcare, protection, and social support.
