International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Empowering Persons with Disabilities Is a Collective Responsibility
Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Ministry of Social Development reaffirms its commitment to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, protecting them, and advancing programs and services that ensure a dignified life and equal opportunities for participation, in light of the escalating challenges faced by our people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
According to data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of persons with disabilities before the attack on the Gaza Strip reached 115,152 individuals, including 59,000 in the West Bank and 58,000 in Gaza.
Impact of the Attack on Persons with Disabilities in West Bank Camps
Field follow-up by the Ministry and the Palestinian General Union of Persons with Disabilities revealed that 610 persons with disabilities were affected by the attack on camps in the northern West Bank, including 245 in Jenin Camp, 205 in Tulkarm Camp, and 160 in Nur Shams Camp, with many of them forced to leave their areas of residence.
Escalating Humanitarian Catastrophe in the Gaza Strip
In the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Estimates from the World Health Organization indicate the emergence of more than 42,000 new disabilities since the beginning of the attack, in addition to 3,105–4,050 cases of amputation.
According to UNICEF reports, 90% of children in Gaza suffer from severe food poverty, while the percentage of children with disabilities out of school has risen to 69%, compared to 46% before the attack.
Figures also estimate that around 9,200 children became amputees by May 2025, amid the damage or destruction of more than 40 rehabilitation institutions, the partial operation of 50% of hospitals, and the damage of 88% of schools, many of which have been converted into shelters.
Impact of Occupation Practices in the West Bank
Practices by the occupying forces in the West Bank continue to increase disability cases due to excessive use of force and restrictions that impede timely medical access. Movement restrictions and damage to infrastructure also limit children with disabilities’ access to health and education services.
Displaced persons with disabilities face harsh conditions, including the lack of accessible environments, loss of assistive devices, and the urgent need for daily care for individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism—needs that are often unmet in displacement settings.
Economic Challenges and Participation in the Labor Market
Economic challenges further restrict opportunities for persons with disabilities. Financial crises and rising unemployment rates have reduced access to economic participation and limited employment opportunities, particularly in the public sector.
The Ministry affirms that its programs aim to expand decent work opportunities and promote economic empowerment for this group.
Service System Provided by the Ministry of Social Development
The Ministry of Social Development continues to provide an integrated system of services for persons with disabilities, including issuing disability cards, providing various assistive devices, physical and functional rehabilitation, psychological and social assessments, and programs for inclusion in education and employment.
The Ministry also supervises specialized centers offering day care, training, vocational empowerment, and residential care for cases requiring continuous follow-up, within a case-management system ensuring that beneficiaries receive appropriate services in cooperation with partner institutions.
Reaffirming National Commitment to Supporting Persons with Disabilities
On this occasion, the Ministry stresses that supporting persons with disabilities and strengthening their resilience remain a national priority. Efforts continue to develop policies and services that safeguard their rights and to create an environment that ensures their effective participation in society despite ongoing challenges.
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.
