Minister Hamad Calls on the European Commissioner for Equality
Ramallah – Dr. Samah Hamad, Minister of Social Development and Minister of State for Relief Affairs, met on Friday with Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Palestine and ways to strengthen humanitarian response efforts and support Palestinian institutions amid the ongoing war and the worsening humanitarian and economic conditions.
During the meeting, Dr. Hamad emphasized the importance of continued European support for the Palestinian people, expressing appreciation for the European Commission’s commitment to sustaining humanitarian funding in Palestine at a time when humanitarian needs are increasing while available response resources continue to decline.
The Minister presented an overview of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, noting that more than 2.1 million Palestinians remain in need of humanitarian assistance, while approximately 320,000 children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition. She stressed that children continue to bear the heaviest burden of the war, with more than 21,000 children killed and approximately 637,000 students deprived of regular education due to the destruction of most educational facilities. She also noted that more than 40,000 patients and injured individuals require medical treatment outside Gaza amid limited medical evacuations and the continued deterioration of the healthcare system.
Dr. Hamad also addressed the situation in the West Bank, noting that more than 50,000 Palestinians have been displaced, including over 33,000 refugees from Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps, as a result of ongoing military operations and escalating settler violence, which has become a major driver of displacement, loss of livelihoods, and growing humanitarian needs.
The Minister stressed that the humanitarian crisis cannot be separated from the economic and financial challenges facing Palestine. She noted that approximately 200,000 Palestinian workers have lost their sources of income, while Israel continues to withhold Palestinian clearance revenues, the cumulative value of which has reached approximately USD 5.7 billion. This has a direct impact on the Government’s ability to finance essential services and social protection, health, and education programs.
Dr. Hamad also highlighted the Ministry’s efforts to develop the National Social Registry and the Registry of Affected Households, emphasizing the importance of adopting Palestinian national systems and databases as a unified reference framework to improve the efficiency of humanitarian response, ensure assistance reaches those most in need, and strengthen coordination among humanitarian actors.
She further noted that, in partnership with national and international organizations, the Ministry has successfully delivered emergency cash assistance to more than 340,000 households in the Gaza Strip. She emphasized the importance of moving beyond short-term humanitarian interventions toward an integrated approach that links humanitarian relief, social protection, livelihoods, and economic empowerment, thereby strengthening the resilience of Palestinian families and reducing long-term dependence on emergency assistance.
Dr. Hamad stressed that the prolonged nature of the crisis requires more sustainable responses, explaining that Palestinians need not only humanitarian assistance, but also access to education, employment opportunities, and essential services that enable them to preserve their dignity and strengthen their capacity to cope with mounting challenges.
She called for enhanced coordination between the Palestinian Government, the European Commission, United Nations agencies, and humanitarian partners, and for aligning humanitarian financing with Palestinian national priorities and plans, in order to strengthen the ability of Palestinian institutions to lead relief and recovery efforts and ensure the continuity of essential services.
The Minister emphasized that Palestine requires urgent humanitarian support, but also strong national institutions and stable public services. She stressed that supporting Palestinian institutions is an investment in resilience, stability, and the capacity of Palestinian society to confront growing challenges.
For her part, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and underscored the European Commission’s determination to continue coordinating with the Palestinian Government and international partners to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance and enhance the effectiveness of responses to growing needs.
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.
