The MoSD condemns the international community's inaction in allowing rodent control supplies into the Gaza Strip
Ramallah – The Ministry of Social Development has warned of a rapidly escalating health and environmental crisis in the Gaza Strip resulting from the unprecedented spread of rodents, including rats and other pests, in displacement camps and densely populated areas. The Ministry stressed that the situation poses a direct threat to the lives and safety of civilians, particularly children, older persons, women, persons with disabilities, and individuals with chronic illnesses.
The Ministry emphasized that the catastrophic humanitarian conditions facing Gaza’s population, coupled with the widespread destruction of infrastructure and essential services, have created an ideal environment for rodents to breed and spread extensively throughout displacement camps and shelters.
The Ministry explained that the destruction of nearly 80% of the waste collection vehicle fleet, combined with the accumulation of more than 350,000 tons of solid waste in streets and around displacement sites, as well as the destruction of sewage networks and the overflow of wastewater between tents, has significantly intensified environmental and public health risks.
The Ministry further noted that the continued presence of approximately 8,500 bodies trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings, alongside millions of tons of debris scattered across the Gaza Strip, has contributed to creating fertile conditions for the rapid proliferation of rodents within residential areas and displacement camps, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks and epidemics.
According to the Ministry, approximately 1.45 million people living across 1,326 displacement sites are directly exposed to rodent-related health risks, including more than 680,000 children who are living in conditions that lack even the most basic health and environmental protection measures.
The Ministry added that health and humanitarian reports indicate that more than 70,000 cases associated with rodents, pests, and related environmental conditions have been recorded since the beginning of the year. These include approximately 17,000 direct cases resulting from bites, infections, and skin diseases, while children account for nearly 80% of all reported rodent-bite victims.
The Ministry pointed to field reports from Gaza documenting incidents in which children, infants, women, and older persons were directly attacked by rodents while sleeping inside tents and shelters, highlighting the severity of the threat facing the most vulnerable groups in society.
The Ministry stressed that the impact of rodents extends beyond health risks. Rodents are also damaging and tearing tents, contaminating food supplies and humanitarian aid, penetrating flour sacks and food packages, and destroying the limited personal belongings on which displaced families rely for their daily survival, thereby worsening food insecurity and living conditions.
The Ministry noted that municipalities and local authorities face significant challenges in addressing the problem due to severe shortages of equipment, machinery, and pest-control materials, as well as the lack of access to effective pesticides and rodenticides because of restrictions on their entry into Gaza. This has greatly limited the ability of relevant authorities to contain the spread of rodents and pests.
The Ministry warned that the continuation of these conditions, coupled with rising temperatures during the summer season, could lead to outbreaks of serious rodent-borne diseases, including Rat-Bite Fever, Leptospirosis, and a range of bacterial, viral, and skin infections, particularly in light of the severe collapse of the healthcare system and the acute shortage of medicines and medical supplies.
The Ministry renewed its call on the United Nations, international and humanitarian organizations, and donor partners to take urgent action to support humanitarian and environmental interventions in Gaza, including the provision of pest-control supplies, support for municipalities in removing waste and debris, rehabilitation of sewage systems, and the delivery of essential equipment and materials needed to protect civilians from escalating health risks.
The Ministry stressed that the situation in Gaza has evolved beyond an environmental or service-related crisis and has become a major public health and humanitarian disaster threatening the lives of more than 1.4 million people. It called for immediate international intervention to prevent further deterioration and to protect civilians—particularly children, women, older persons, and persons with disabilities—from expanding health and epidemic risks.
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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.
