Research & Policy Papers

The research, conducted by Juzoor for Health and Social Development, under Masarouna Project which is a regional program designed to harness the potential of young people as catalysts for collective action. The program’s primary objective is to empower and mobilize young people towards advocating for expanded freedom of choice. Masarouna seeks to amplify the voices of young people, ensuring their perspectives and concerns are considered in decision-making processes, provides a comprehensive assessment of the challenges, successful initiatives, and unmet needs of Palestinian adolescents and youth with disabilities in the West Bank. Using qualitative methods, including desk reviews and interviews with 10 key organizations, the study explores barriers in education, healthcare, employment, and recreational activities. It highlights systemic shortcomings, societal stigma, and economic constraints, while showcasing successful programs and offering actionable recommendations. The findings aim to inform policy reforms and advocate for inclusive, accessible, and sustainable interventions to enhance the lives of this marginalized group.

Accounting for approximately one quarter of Gaza’s population1 , over the past year, young people have witnessed traumatic events, lost family and friends, suffered from hunger and thirst, lost homes, and have not been able to go to school. Since the attack on Israel by Hamas on the 7th of October 2023 and the ensuing Israeli invasion of Gaza, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has warned that Gaza is becoming becoming ‘a graveyard for children’. One year on, even conservative estimates put the death toll among Gaza’s children at more than 14,000 (among an overall estimated death toll of over 42,000 and more than 10,000 still buried under the rubble) (Khatib et al., 2024; Wintour, 2023; United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2024)2 . Children and young people, along with  ...

The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, has resulted in unprecedented death and destruction, exacerbating the already severe vulnerabilities and risks faced by the people of Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, many more injured, and the majority of the population—more than 1.7 million people—displaced. More than 60% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, and essential services, including healthcare, supplies, and basic human needs, are no longer available. The healthcare system in particular has faced unprecedented and deliberate destruction of services and facilities, along with the loss of healthcare providers, leading to ... 

This study provides a glimpse of the living conditions, health status, and quality of life (QOL) of older persons 65 years and older in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt), a country marked by persistent challenges in political, economic, and social stability that enforce hardships on various aspects of the population's daily life. This study seeks to assess personal characteristics, socioeconomic and demographic information, social support, functionality, housing conditions, and healthcare status. It is widely recognized that QOL in the older is influenced by determinants specific to older age, including but not limited to social roles and support, fluctuation of physical health status, and coping with challenges brought on by ageing. Personal characteristics, demographic variables, socioeconomic, and ...

Diabetes Prevention Programs (DPPs) aim to deliver prevention-based behavior change interventions to reduce incidence of diabetes. This study reports on the evaluation of the implementation of Phase 1 of the Palestine National Diabetes Prevention Program (PNDPP) which aimed to establish a national community-based approach to diabetes care and prevention, adopting a holistic approach to building communities’ capacity to address diabetes. Within this aim, the program worked to launch three centers of excellence and six intermediate diabetes clinics in the North of the West Bank to act as referral centers; strengthen the national committee of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to become active and operational; building capacity of health care providers to implement national protocols to strengthen diabetes care and prevention; provide quality and patientcentered diabetes care, treatment and ...

In the rubble of a devastated Gaza neighborhood, an elderly man mourns the remnants of what oncewas his family home. "I worked for 40 years to build this home," he laments, "it’s all gone." Anotherelderly woman, now residing in a packed shelter with thousands of other displaced Palestinians,expresses the poor conditions she and her family are living in: “we have no money, we have no food,no electricity… feeling cold.” Download the full article to read more. 

According to Ministry of Health data, as of November 10, 3,027 women and 4,506 children have been killed in the Gaza strip, representing around 67% of all casualties, while thousands more have been injured. This means that 420 children have been killed or injured every day since October 7, some of them only a few months or even days old. to read the full article please download the full article. 

Oct 13, 2023, order by the Israeli forces for the mass evacuation of 1·1 million people from northern Gaza before an expected ground offensive included those of advanced age or with higher dependency on caregivers.With the population already cut off from basic needs, such as water, electricity, communication networks, fuel, food, and medical services, Médecins sans Frontières—who are active in several hospitals in Gaza—have described the situation as catastrophic.Older people are disproportionately affected by the war in Gaza, as in all humanitarian emergencies. Previous data collected by organisations, including El-Wedad, Juzoor, and HelpAge International show that 44% of older people in Gaza are completely dependent on family members to meet their basic needs, 80% reported they require medical items or medicines, and 45% were going to bed hungry at least one night per week....