RAMALLAH, November 3, 2026 (WAFA) – The Ministry of Social Development, in cooperation with the Government Communication Centre, held a press conference on Monday to review its achievements under the 19th Palestinian Government between 2024 and 2026. The conference highlighted the Ministry’s key interventions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, covering humanitarian response, protection, care, rehabilitation, and economic empowerment, as well as reforms to the social protection system and the development of its services and legislative framework.
Opening the conference, Dr. Mohammad Abu Al-Rob, Director of the Government Communication Centre, noted that Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues, which account for 68% of public revenues, alongside the deteriorating economic situation, has further deepened the hardship faced by families in need of healthcare, relief, and other forms of assistance. He also highlighted the impact of Israeli occupation military checkpoints and gates, which restrict movement and disrupt connectivity between Palestinian cities and villages, aggravating the situation even more.
He explained that these challenges have prompted the Palestinian Government to strengthen partnerships and coordination with international humanitarian organizations and adopt the National Social Registry as a basis for delivering assistance. This approach aims to meet as many family needs as possible while ensuring that support reaches eligible households without duplication.
Abu Al-Rob also highlighted the Government’s adoption of an urgent response programme, recently announced by the Prime Minister, focusing on priority interventions across the governorates to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people while maintaining essential services within available resources. He noted that the financial resources currently available to the Palestinian Government cover no more than 20% of its overall needs.
Dr. Samah Hamad, Minister of Social Development and Acting Minister of State for Relief Affairs, emphasized that the Ministry approaches social protection as a national safety net that preserves family cohesion and social solidarity, while linking emergency relief with recovery and development. She highlighted the importance of this approach amid Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, escalating Israeli incursions and forced displacement, and the economic and financial crisis in the West Bank.
Hamad stated that the total value of interventions and assistance delivered by the Ministry and its partners reached approximately NIS 3.43 billion. This included NIS 447.6 million in 2024, NIS 826.5 million in 2025, and approximately NIS 2.16 billion during 2026 through August/September. She explained that these interventions were guided by data from the National Social Registry and coordinated with national and international organizations.
Humanitarian Response in Gaza
Hamad explained that the Ministry and its partners continued providing cash, food, and in-kind assistance despite widespread destruction and displacement, as well as the considerable challenges involved in reaching families.
Through the Cash Working Group, 64,579 families received emergency cash assistance in 2023, while 435,867 cash payments were delivered in 2024. By 2026, approximately 1.101 million cash payments had been delivered, benefiting around 147,000 families, with individual families potentially receiving more than one payment.
In the area of food and humanitarian assistance, Ministry teams received approximately 8,000 trucks in 2024 and distributed more than 150,000 parcels. In 2025, more than 1.08 million food and non-food parcels were distributed.
By mid-September 2026, more than 4.15 million food assistance distributions and over 71,000 relief parcels and essential supplies had been recorded. Additional interventions included the provision of drinking water and improvements to shelter and sanitation facilities.
Protection of Women, Children, and Orphans in Gaza
The Minister highlighted the Ministry’s protection services for women and girls, including psychosocial and legal support. Psychological first aid and counselling reached approximately 30,000 women in 2024. More than 170,000 services, sessions, and consultations were recorded in 2025, followed by over 101,000 services and interventions by mid-September 2026.
In child protection, the Ministry followed up on cases involving separated and unaccompanied children, as well as cases of violence and neglect. These efforts included 246 cases at SOS Children’s Village and Al-Awda Shelter Centre, in addition to 139 family reintegration cases.
The number of registered orphans in Gaza reached 39,205 in 2026, alongside the launch of the national campaign, “No Orphan Will Be Left Without Sponsorship in Palestine.” The Ministry also digitized orphan sponsorship records and introduced a dedicated webpage for accredited organizations.
Relief and Assistance in the West Bank, Including Jerusalem
Hamad emphasized that the Ministry provides 18 essential social services, including cash and food assistance, health insurance, educational exemptions, protection, and care services.
A total of 292,063 families benefited from in-kind and relief assistance in 2025. This number increased to 451,539 families in 2026, up to the reporting date, amid growing needs resulting from the economic crisis, Israeli incursions, and forced displacement.
She added that emergency cash assistance continued throughout 2026 in cooperation with the Cash Working Group, with 36,069 payments delivered at an estimated total value of NIS 63.12 million.
By the end of August 2026, a total of 158,492 individuals had benefited from regular food vouchers valued at approximately NIS 7.924 million, while 46,862 individuals received emergency food vouchers worth approximately NIS 2.343 million.
In the area of health insurance, 53,739 families benefited from government health insurance by August 2026, at an estimated value exceeding NIS 32 million.
The Ministry also continued supporting patients from Gaza and their accompanying family members staying in the West Bank, implementing relief programmes for families forcibly displaced from northern West Bank refugee camps, providing social services in Jerusalem, and supporting social care and residential institutions.
Protection, Care, and Rehabilitation
Hamad explained that women’s protection services in the West Bank included 2,305 interventions by the end of August 2026, alongside funding for 133 economic empowerment projects valued at more than NIS 1.4 million.
In child protection and juvenile care, protection and care services were provided to 1,166 children, while 1,953 juveniles received care and rehabilitation services during the same period.
In the disability sector, 307 persons benefited from customs exemptions, while 1,119 assistive devices, 948 services under the service-purchasing programme, and 281 rehabilitation and vocational services were provided by August 2026.
Implementation also began of Decision No. 9 of 2026 concerning vehicle exemptions for persons with disabilities, alongside an expansion of the categories eligible to benefit.
Services for older persons included care for 1,106 individuals, alongside the provision of healthcare, assistance, and psychosocial support.
Economic Empowerment and Partnerships with Civil Society Organizations
Hamad emphasized that the transition from relief assistance towards productivity and self-reliance remains a central pillar of the Ministry’s work.
The Ministry and its partners implemented 203 economic empowerment and productive projects and interventions in 2024, followed by 759 projects in 2025. During the first five months of 2026, 110 families benefited from empowerment interventions valued at approximately NIS 1.28 million.
She added that the service-purchasing system currently includes approximately 45 charitable associations and civil society organizations, with around 85% of the services allocated to persons with disabilities. This helps ensure the continuity of specialized care and rehabilitation services.
Institutional Reform, Digital Transformation, and Legislation
Hamad reviewed progress in developing the National Social Registry, launching the pilot version of the Unified Social Assistance Portal, and establishing data linkages between institutions to improve fairness in beneficiary targeting and reduce duplication.
She noted that the Emergency Social Registry in Gaza includes approximately 350,000 families, representing around 1.6 million people. This followed the development of a simplified self-registration form to facilitate registration under conditions of displacement.
Other efforts included digitizing orphan sponsorship and customs exemption services and launching the “Licensed Nurseries” service on the Ministry’s website. The service enables families to verify which nurseries are licensed and subject to regulatory oversight. The Ministry also worked to regulate home-based nurseries and strengthen monitoring mechanisms.
The Ministry opened five new branch offices and continued developing protection and rehabilitation centres, including Al-Thuraya Centre in Nablus and Jabal Al-Najma Centre.
In the areas of legislation and governance, the Ministry continued developing guidelines for the protection of women and children, case management and national referral mechanisms, and the regulation of service purchasing.
It also worked on developing a governance framework for social work professions, targeting approximately 2,300 male and female social workers, while strengthening complaints and grievance mechanisms and communication channels, including the 189 hotline.
Partnerships and Priorities for the Coming Period
Hamad explained that the Ministry, together with its partners, manages 14 active programmes valued at more than USD 28 million, covering the strengthening of social safety nets, child protection, technical assistance, and institutional development.
She emphasized the importance of partnerships with United Nations agencies and national, civil society, and international organizations in translating available resources into services that directly reach families.
Concluding the conference, Hamad reaffirmed that the Ministry’s priorities will remain focused on ensuring the sustainability of social protection services in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem; expanding care, rehabilitation, and economic empowerment services; and further developing the National Social Registry, Unified Social Assistance Portal, case management, and accountability mechanisms.
These priorities aim to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian families and enhance their capacity for recovery and self-reliance.
K.T
