Gaza awaits the return of essential social welfare programs
The Ministry of Social Development is expected to resume services in Gaza soon, following its departure from the Strip last year due to conflict with Hamas.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza is awaiting the arrival early next week of a high-level delegation from the Ramallah-based Ministry of Social Development. The ministry is expected to reinstate its programs in the Gaza Strip that were folded last May.
The ministry's programs were discontinued following disputes between the central government in Ramallah and the Hamas administration in Gaza over the running of the ministry. Hamas had undermined the implementation of the programs and the collection of demographic data. In a statement issued by Ramallah in August 2019, the Ministry of Social Development held Hamas responsible for the cessation of its Gaza programs, which benefit the poor.
Among the most significant programs offered by the ministry is the cash transfer scheme, which serves some 71,000 poor families in Gaza. Beneficiaries receive quarterly payments between $230 and $515, depending on financial need.
Until recently, the Ministry of Social Development was the only ministry not affected by the Palestinian political division. The Ramallah-based government had supervised the ministry in Gaza and allocated its budget since 2011.
