During One Week: MoSD Expands Humanitarian Response and Launches Empowerment Initiatives in the West Bank
Ramallah – Under the leadership of Minister of Social Development and Acting Minister of State for Relief Affairs, Dr. Samah Hamad, the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development intensified its humanitarian, field, and development interventions across several governorates this week, as part of a comprehensive plan to bolster social resilience and protect the most vulnerable groups amid Palestine’s exceptional circumstances.
As part of institutional development and digital transformation efforts, the Ministry announced the full automation of the National Registry form for persons with disabilities and the customs exemption service (for individuals and proxies). This step aligns with the government's strategy to enhance social protection and streamline service delivery. Dr. Hamad emphasized that digital transformation is no longer optional, but a national necessity to ensure transparency and equity.
Dr. Hamad also participated in a national workshop organized by the Ministry of Justice titled “Institutional Memory in Times of War.” She stressed that data documentation has become a tool of national resilience, especially following the destruction of many institutional archives, and highlighted the urgent need to update social databases for timely and fair responses.
In a new step to empower youth, the Ministry launched the "Empowering the Future – Craft & Story" project from its headquarters in Ramallah, in partnership with Taawon Foundation, with support from GOAL Global, and implementation by Tamer Institute for Community Education. The project targets 200 adolescents aged 12–18 in Jenin and Tulkarm through intensive training in life skills, psychosocial support, and artisanal production, in response to the challenging conditions in northern West Bank governorates.
Field Engagements, Dr. Hamad conducted an inspection tour to Qalqilya Directorate, the Azzoun sub-office, the under-construction Government Services Complex, and Al-Qalb Al-Kabeer School for the Deaf. She also visited an economic empowerment project for girls with disabilities, emphasizing the need to complete institutional infrastructure and expand empowerment programs. She commended community-led initiatives that promote inclusion and social justice.
In Qalandiya Refugee Camp north of Jerusalem, the Minister reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to supporting refugees and strengthening social services in the face of escalating field challenges. She called for empowering adolescents, supporting community initiatives, and utilizing the Ministry’s programs and renewable energy projects in refugee camps.
In this context, the Minister held a coordination meeting with a delegation from Save the Children, where she affirmed the continued provision of integrated services to affected families in Gaza and the West Bank, including protection and cash support through the National Social Registry, despite financial and technical challenges. She emphasized the importance of intensifying coordination with partners to ensure an effective response. The organization expressed its commitment to supporting Palestinian children and continuing international pressure to ensure humanitarian access, affirming its readiness to enhance cooperation with the Palestinian government in confronting current challenges.
In Tulkarm, the Directorate carried out field visits with ANERA to assess families’ needs in villages and distribute meat as part of humanitarian aid. Coordination meetings with local and international partners were held to prioritize urgent needs and align aid distribution. A meeting was also held with Civil Defense to explore preparedness strategies to protect vulnerable populations during crises.
In Hebron, the Directorate began receiving flour shipments from President Mahmoud Abbas’s aid grant, supported by the Russian government, to be stored and transported to Gaza under a fair and efficient distribution plan. Additionally, a training initiative was launched for children in conflict with the law, in collaboration with civil society institutions, to promote vocational and social reintegration in safe environments.
In Jerusalem, the Directorate conducted a field visit to the Bedouin community in the village of Mikhmas, distributing food aid and assessing needs in light of ongoing assaults and the denial of water and basic services.
In Nablus, a children’s awareness event on disability and community inclusion was held at the German-Palestinian Club "Bieleh," with a social worker sharing her personal experience. The Directorate also held a consultative meeting with the Palestine Peace Ambassadors Forum to plan a free training program for young journalists focused on covering marginalized groups.
Meanwhile, the Directorates of Nablus, Tubas, and Jenin conducted a joint field activity at the American University shelters in Jenin, targeting displaced women with psychosocial support sessions and basic aid distribution, as part of a comprehensive humanitarian response for those affected by war and forced displacement.
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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.
