Weekly Highlights: Dr. Samah Hamad Continues Efforts to Strengthen Humanitarian Response and Discusses Support Mechanisms for Displaced Families with Local and International Partners
As part of the government's ongoing efforts to strengthen the humanitarian response in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Dr. Samah Hamad, Minister of Social Development and Acting Minister of State for Relief Affairs, continued her field visits and coordination meetings throughout the week, aimed at organizing emergency interventions and reinforcing partnerships with both local and international actors.
During her meeting with the Palestinian Volunteers Association, attended by Major General Ahmad Fareed, Dr. Hamad discussed potential cooperation with the association, which provides free medical care to low-income families through its “Jabr Al-Khawatir Clinic” in the West Bank. The discussion also included the possibility of integrating the association’s services with the Unified Aid Portal launched by the Ministry to improve access to vulnerable households. The Minister praised the association's volunteer-driven work, which earned them the Volunteer Award, and welcomed their upcoming initiative to hold a volunteer medical day to benefit displaced families in northern areas of the West Bank.
In support of international partnerships, Dr. Hamad met with the European Union Delegation, where the latest EU financial support of €620 million was reviewed—an allocation set to cover salaries for public employees and retirees beginning in June. The meeting also addressed the situation of displaced persons in northern West Bank and the importance of expanding EU assistance to affected areas. Dr. Hamad urged the EU to exert pressure to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and open crossings, as the humanitarian crisis deepens following the Prime Minister’s formal famine declaration.
Dr. Hamad also participated in the Donor Coordination Group (DCG–HOC) meeting, organized by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, chaired by Minister Dr. Wael Zaqout and Mr. Ibrahim Lavia, Head of Cooperation at the European Commission and Deputy Chair of the group, with participation from EU countries, international donors, and humanitarian support agencies.
The meeting focused on urgent political, humanitarian, and economic developments in Gaza and the West Bank, and outlined the Palestinian government’s post-war priorities, particularly reforming the social protection system and advocating for a ceasefire to enhance strategic dialogue and consolidate global support for Palestine.
During the meeting, Dr. Hamad presented an overview of the current humanitarian conditions and the role of the Ministries of Social Development and Planning in leading the government’s relief and recovery plan.
In cooperation with UN agencies, Dr. Hamad met with the International Labour Organization (ILO) representative and briefed him on the work of the Government Emergency Operations Room in the southern governorates. They also discussed the situation of displaced persons in northern West Bank and explored joint efforts to enhance social protection and develop emergency response solutions.
In the same context, Dr. Hamad took part in the Government Aid Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mustafa, which reviewed the latest relief efforts in the West Bank and Gaza and discussed ways to strengthen coordination with international institutions, especially in the areas of shelter, cash assistance, and food aid. In her remarks, Dr. Hamad emphasized the need to strengthen support for the most affected groups, particularly in northern West Bank and Gaza, by accelerating emergency aid disbursement and expanding the social protection framework.
Additionally, Dr. Hamad participated in a policy dialogue at Birzeit University, focused on the Government Operations Room for Emergency Interventions in the Southern Governorates, where she presented the Palestinian government’s experience in humanitarian crisis management in a session attended by a wide group of students and academics.
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On the International Day for the Elimination of Child Marriage, MoSD Affirms: Protecting Girls Begins with Education, Protection, & Family Empowerment
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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.
