Ramallah – Prime Minister’s Office - Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Mohammad Mustafa, met with UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, Ted Chaiban, at his office in Ramallah. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Health Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan, Minister of Social Development Samah Hamad, and Minister of State for Relief Affairs Basil Nasser.

Dr. Mustafa stressed the urgent need to scale up aid and address the urgent needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza, emphasizing the necessity of ensuring educational continuity for Gaza’s students by expanding access to temporary virtual learning solutions until the Israeli aggression halts, allowing schools to be rehabilitated.

Mustafa also underscored the significant efforts made to ensure the school year started on time in the West Bank and highlighted preparations to accommodate displaced students from Gaza in Egypt, including the rental of dozens of private schools. He commended UNICEF’s efforts and its close coordination with the Government of Palestine in delivering essential health and educational services in Gaza.

Chaiban briefed the Prime Minister on the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza following his recent visit, noting the acute shortage of health services, particularly for children, and the complete disruption of education due to the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. He described how many schools have either been destroyed or are being used as shelters for displaced families. Chaiban outlined UNICEF’s work with key Government ministries and the World Health Organization to provide vaccines for children in Gaza and deliver essential services across health, education, and social protection.

Minister of Social Development Samah Hamad emphasized the need to expand social protection programs in Gaza, including increased cash assistance through UNICEF, and highlighted the launch of an online education platform in Gaza, noting that thousands of students have already registered, with ongoing efforts to provide tablets to support e-learning.

Minister of Health Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan underscored UNICEF's role as a strategic partner to the ministry, highlighting that over 500,000 children in Gaza had been vaccinated in the first phase of the vaccination campaign. He noted that further preparations are underway to vaccinate displaced children in Egypt and stressed the need for joint efforts to provide healthcare for injured children and facilitate their treatment outside of Gaza, due to the severe shortage of medical care within the Strip.