MoSD Explores Enhancing Partnerships and Social Services in Nablus Amid Current Challenges
Nablus – As part of a field visit to Nablus Governorate, Minister of Social Development and Minister of State for Relief Affairs, Dr. Samah Hamd, held an extensive meeting with the participation of Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas, Mr. Hossam Al-Shakhshir, Mayor of Nablus, a number of hospital directors, Mr. Shaher Saad, Head of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, representatives of civil society organizations, municipal council members, Deputy Minister Az Taha Al-Irani, and a delegation from the Ministry and the Directorate, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation and develop social services in light of the exceptional circumstances Palestine is experiencing, particularly in the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Hamd reviewed the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, affirming that the Palestinian government has, since the truce on 19 January, established the Government Operations Room, which includes 42 institutions from the United Nations, civil society organizations, and the private sector, with the aim of managing relief operations directly from the field. She explained that “during the truce period, the Ministry implemented a series of qualitative interventions, including the establishment of 12 shelter centers, in addition to launching temporary employment projects that provided job opportunities for nearly 40,000 people in the Gaza Strip in just two months.”
Dr. Hamd pointed out that Nablus Governorate serves as a logistical hub for distributing aid to the West Bank directorates, with the Ministry providing monthly in-kind assistance valued between 10 and 15 million shekels, in cooperation with the private sector, charitable associations, municipal councils, and philanthropists.
She stressed that updating the National Social Registry and the Unified Assistance Portal is a priority to ensure transparency and prevent duplication, noting that the number of beneficiaries has increased due to the repercussions of the war. The primary goal, she emphasized, is to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian families by providing basic needs, rehabilitation, and care services, particularly for persons with disabilities.
Dr. Hamd highlighted the importance of the Thurayya Center for Services for Persons with Disabilities, which will be jointly managed by the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Health, confirming that these arrangements are temporary until the completion of the construction and renovation of the National Hospital. The center offers hydrotherapy and home care services, and the Ministry seeks to enhance its capacity and improve service quality, including utilizing unused floors to treat cancer patients.
Governor Ghassan Daghlas stressed the need to strengthen integration between government institutions and the local community to meet the growing needs, while Mayor Hossam Al-Shakhshir affirmed that the sector of persons with disabilities requires special protection to ensure that the services provided to them are not affected.
The meeting featured a series of interventions, particularly in light of the increasing pressure on hospitals and specialized centers. Participants emphasized the importance of maintaining the continuity of services provided to persons with disabilities and ensuring they are not affected by current conditions, in addition to strengthening mechanisms for coordinating incoming aid from abroad—especially from labor unions and international bodies—and enhancing cooperation with the private sector and community institutions to support social protection networks across all governorates.
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.
