Within a Week: MoSD Strengthens Social Protection Efforts and Intensifies Coordination for Humanitarian Response
Ramallah – The Ministry of Social Development, led by Minister of Social Development and Minister of State for Relief Affairs, Dr. Samah Hamd, continued its developmental and humanitarian efforts over the past week through a series of meetings, field visits, and qualitative initiatives aimed at strengthening the social protection system and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable groups in light of the ongoing aggression and worsening humanitarian situation.
In this context, the Minister chaired an expanded meeting of the Government Operations Room for emergency interventions in the southern governorates, during which she emphasized the severity of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, noting that the number of famine and malnutrition victims has risen to 217 martyrs, including 100 children. She pointed out that the aid entering the Strip meets only a small fraction of the daily needs, calling for intensified direct cash assistance to affected families, particularly those headed by women, and for enhancing shelter operations in camps in the northern West Bank. She also commended the Moroccan air bridge for providing high-quality aid.
Dr. Hamd also held a meeting with the Cash Working Group (CWG) to discuss mechanisms for strengthening humanitarian response and cash assistance, stressing that Gaza has been experiencing famine for more than four months, threatening the lives of half a million children. She called for ensuring that cash assistance reaches its rightful beneficiaries through the National Registry and the Unified Assistance Portal. The meeting also addressed the situation of displaced persons, plans to disburse a new cash payment, and the development of cash programming strategies in partnership with international institutions.
In addition, the Minister met with a delegation from the International Labour Organization (ILO) to review joint projects and explore ways to develop them in line with the Ministry’s priorities in economic empowerment and expanding social protection services, reaffirming the government’s commitment to supporting programs that serve the most vulnerable groups.
In preparation for upcoming international engagements, the Ministry held a preparatory meeting for an anticipated side event, during which session topics and the Ministry’s participation plan were discussed to ensure a presentation that reflects the reality of social protection in Palestine and highlights humanitarian intervention priorities.
The Minister also gave a radio interview on the Voice of Palestine, in which she reviewed the Ministry’s efforts, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and international institutions, to provide treatment for children and critical cases in light of the destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure. She also addressed the situation of approximately 8,000 displaced families from Jenin and Tulkarm, affirming the continued mobilization of funding and coordination for the entry of aid—despite its limited volume—to meet urgent needs, particularly for children.
As part of its focus on marginalized groups, the Ministry held the fourth meeting of the Disability Thematic Working Group, chaired by Deputy Minister Taha Al-Irani, with the participation of representatives from ministries, national institutions, and international organizations. Discussions focused on preparing the 2025–2027 National Strategy and developing a national protocol for shock-responsive social protection.
On the ground, Dr. Hamd conducted a field visit to Nablus Governorate, meeting with Governor Ghassan Daghlas, Mayor Hossam Al-Shakhshir, and several partners to discuss enhancing partnerships and social services under exceptional circumstances, especially in Gaza. She reviewed government efforts through an operations room comprising 42 institutions, the implementation of interventions that included establishing 12 shelter centers, and temporary employment projects benefiting around 40,000 people. She also highlighted Nablus’s role as a logistical hub for distributing monthly aid valued at 10–15 million shekels, underscored the importance of updating the National Registry and services for persons with disabilities, and visited several charitable associations to review their health, educational, and vocational programs, stressing cooperation with civil society to ensure services reach the most vulnerable.
The Ministry also carried out visits to several institutions in the Gaza Strip, including the Aisha Center, which has provided protection, psychosocial, and social support services to more than 50,000 beneficiaries since the start of the aggression and oversees 26 independent camps. In Khan Younis, the Minister visited the SOS Children’s Village to review the conditions of children deprived of family care and discussed establishing a new branch in the north of the Strip to expand protection and care services.
Across the governorates, the Ministry’s directorates continued implementing targeted interventions to support beneficiaries. In Jericho, the Child Protection Network launched the “Friends of the Moon” summer camp for 40 children in cooperation with the Palestine College for Police Sciences. In Nablus, the directorate participated in the Community Solidarity Committee meeting and delivered the 2025 sacrificial meat distribution report. In Jerusalem, the directorate, in cooperation with the Qurrat Al-Uyoun Association, provided wheelchairs for children with disabilities. In Bethlehem, the Orphans Department concluded its summer activities season with the participation of 1,450 beneficiaries. In Tulkarm, monitoring visits were carried out to residential care institutions to evaluate the level of services and care.
Despite the challenges, the Ministry of Social Development continues its efforts to ensure the delivery of humanitarian and developmental services to those entitled to them and is intensifying coordination with local and international partners to secure a comprehensive and effective response that meets the needs of the Palestinian community during this critical stage.
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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.
