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As Part of the Government’s Field Visit to Jenin Governorate: MoSD Discusses Strengthening Citizens’ Resilience

As Part of the Government’s Field Visit to Jenin Governorate: MoSD Discusses Strengthening Citizens’ Resilience

Jenin – In line with the Council of Ministers’ directives to strengthen the Government’s field presence and engage directly with citizens’ needs across the governorates, a ministerial delegation conducted an official visit to Jenin Governorate with the participation of Dr. Samah Hamad, Minister of Social Development, Mr. Taha Al-Irani, Deputy Minister, and Mr. Ashraf Al-Barghouthi, Assistant Deputy Minister, to assess the current situation and enhance government coordination in addressing humanitarian and social challenges.

Dr. Hamad began her tour with a visit to the Ministry’s Girls’ Rehabilitation Center, where she reviewed the progress of rehabilitation programmes and emphasized the importance of further developing residential care centers to provide a supportive and empowering environment for their beneficiaries. She reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to continuously improving its services in line with its strategic plans.

As part of the Ministry’s efforts to strengthen the social development system, Dr. Hamad also oversaw the distribution of assistive devices and equipment for persons with disabilities, provided with the support of the Italian Cooperation. She stressed that such interventions are among the Government’s priorities to empower marginalized groups and ensure their access to high-quality services that promote their inclusion in society.

During her field visit, the Minister visited the Jenin Directorate of Social Development, where she met with the Directorate’s staff and expressed her appreciation for their dedication to delivering services under difficult circumstances. She emphasized the importance of continuously improving the quality and efficiency of services provided to citizens. During the visit, Dr. Hamad also honored journalist Ali Al-Samoudi in recognition of his outstanding media contributions in documenting the concerns of citizens and for his humanitarian initiative, the Hope Campaign, which has become a successful model of partnership with the Ministry in supporting vulnerable families and empowering those most in need.

Following this, Dr. Hamad participated in a high-level meeting organized by the Jenin Governorate, bringing together several ministers, representatives of government institutions, and community leaders. The meeting reviewed the latest developments on the ground and discussed the governorate’s most pressing needs amid the exceptional circumstances it is currently facing.

Dr. Hamad emphasized that the visit reflects the Government’s integrated field-based approach and implements the Prime Minister’s directives to accelerate the Government’s response to citizens’ needs and strengthen coordination across sectors to ensure effective service delivery.

At the conclusion of the tour, Dr. Hamad held a meeting at the Governorate headquarters with the Popular Committee for Services of Jenin Refugee Camp, attended by the Minister of Justice and a number of community leaders. Discussions focused on the humanitarian and living conditions in the camp. Participants stressed the importance of strengthening efforts to enhance the resilience of affected families, expanding social support mechanisms, and broadening government interventions to ensure a timely response to urgent needs, thereby reinforcing the resilience of citizens throughout Jenin Governorate, particularly those living in Jenin Refugee Camp.

The visit forms part of a series of regular field missions undertaken by the Council of Ministers to maintain close engagement with citizens’ concerns and to strengthen cooperation between public institutions and local communities in support of Palestinian resilience in the face of ongoing challenges.

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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.

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 On World Children's Day, MoSD: Palestinian Children Face Harsh Realities of Loss, Displacement, Violence, & Deprivation

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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.

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