Ramallah - Ma'an - Minister of Social Development Samah Hamad announced the disbursement of a full batch of allocations to poor families benefiting from the cash transfer program in the West Bank today, Tuesday. The ministry explained in a statement that this payment will include the disbursement of allocations to more than 27,000 families benefiting from the cash transfer program in the West Bank, with a total amount exceeding 60 million shekels, funded by the European Union. Hamad pointed out that the Ministry is making efforts to overcome the obstacles to disbursing allocations to poor families in the Gaza Strip, as the Ministry has provided emergency aid to more than 172,000 families in Gaza, benefiting more than one million and two hundred thousand individuals in Gaza, which constitutes 55% of the population in the Gaza Strip. She pointed out that through the ministry's database (the National Social Registry, which includes 86,000 families in Gaza), financial assistance was disbursed to approximately 60,000 families. Also, through the mini-form that the ministry launched to collect data on those affected in the West Bank and Gaza, cash assistance will be disbursed to 31,500 new affected families in the Gaza Strip, at a value of 1,000 shekels per payment. Hamad said: 'We know that the need is great and the circumstances are very difficult, but the government is doing its utmost in every possible way to provide the necessary financial resources to help our people in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, especially in light of the financial crisis resulting from the occupation's policies of piracy of Palestinian funds, especially the recent unprecedented deductions.' She expressed her gratitude for the efforts made by the European Union to support the Ministry's programmes and reduce poverty in Palestine. Source: Maan News Agency