Minister of Social Development Visits Tulkarm as Part of Ministerial Delegation to Reaffirm Support for Affected Families
Tulkarm – As part of the government’s ongoing efforts to support citizens’ resilience, Minister of Social Development, Dr. Samah Hamad, visited Tulkarm Governorate alongside a ministerial delegation led by Minister of Local Government, Dr. Sami Al-Hajawi, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Eng. Hani Hayek, and Head of the Wall and Settlement Authority, Moayad Shaaban. The visit aimed to assess the situation of citizens in the governorate and follow up on government interventions to ensure necessary support for affected families.
The delegation began its tour with a visit to the Tulkarm Governorate, where they met with Governor Major General Dr. Abdullah Kamil and engaged with the Ministerial Committee for Emergency Operations. During the meeting, they discussed the challenges facing the governorate and the governmental efforts to strengthen the resilience of residents and provide for their essential needs in light of the current circumstances.
During the discussion, Dr. Samah Hamad emphasized that the government is intensifying its efforts to ensure the fair and organized delivery of humanitarian aid. She highlighted that the Ministry of Social Development plays a coordinating role in distributing both food and non-food assistance through mechanisms that uphold justice and governance, despite significant challenges in the relief process. She also stressed the need for broad social solidarity alongside government efforts to address the worsening humanitarian conditions in the governorate.
Dr. Hamad pointed out that one of the main challenges currently facing the government is the closure of crossings and the inability to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip. Consequently, the ministry has redirected incoming assistance from within Palestine to the northern West Bank, with a total of 3.5 million shekels in aid provided since the beginning of the year.
The minister also addressed the issue of housing, stressing that one of the most pressing challenges is the inability of many families to return to their homes, which necessitates urgent and sustainable solutions. She explained that the ministerial committee has decided to focus more on providing temporary housing that ensures families maintain their independence and dignity.
The ministerial delegation also visited Tulkarm Municipality, where they were briefed on the operation of essential services and infrastructure. The mayor En. Ryad awad provided a detailed explanation of local efforts to address daily challenges, particularly in light of repeated attacks on infrastructure. During the meeting, the mayor underscored the importance of full coordination between city and governorate institutions in crisis management, commending the efforts of the Ministries of Social Development and Local Government in assisting displaced individuals and rehabilitating infrastructure. He reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to maintaining essential services despite recent measures imposed by the occupation.
The delegation then toured shelters and humanitarian organizations in Tulkarm Governorate, including the Arab Women’s Union Association, where they reviewed the services provided to residents and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to supporting the association in strengthening its humanitarian role. They also visited the Arab Home Association and discussed with its management the key challenges and the ministry’s ongoing efforts to ensure its rehabilitation. The tour concluded with a visit to the Wujud Center for the Rehabilitation of Children with Developmental Disorders, where discussions focused on the center’s needs and ways to support it. Minister Hamad reaffirmed the ministry’s and government’s commitment to supporting these institutions in fulfilling their social and humanitarian roles.
During the visit, the ministers reiterated that the Palestinian government remains steadfast in its efforts to support citizens’ resilience and provide all necessary assistance in the areas of relief, shelter, and essential services. They emphasized the importance of continued coordination between all governmental and local entities to ensure an effective and sustainable response that meets the needs of Tulkarm’s residents.
This visit comes as part of the Palestinian government’s commitment to standing by its people and ensuring ongoing emergency and essential responses amid the difficult conditions faced
Latest News
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.
