Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Palestine: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate Palliative Care, Home Nursing, and Health Insurance Coverage

   • Governmental hospitals and medical referrals: Oncology care, symptom management, and inpatient supportive services in Palestine are delivered through public hospitals supervised by the Ministry of Health (Wizarat al-Sihha) as well as specialized charitable centers (such as Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem and Al-Watani or Beit Jala governmental hospitals) [2]. Where specialized treatment is unavailable locally, the treating specialist can submit a Medical Referral (Tahwila Tibbiyya) through the Service Purchasing Unit of the Ministry of Health [2].
   • Governmental health insurance (Ta'min Sihhi Hukumi): Verify that your family member's governmental health insurance book is active with the Ministry of Health, as patients diagnosed with cancer or chronic life-limiting conditions qualify for statutory fee exemptions or coverage tiers for inpatient care and pain-relief medications [2].
   • Home nursing and community palliative care: Families arranging care at home can coordinate outpatient pain management, nursing visits, and medical equipment loans through district health clinics, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and charitable palliative-care associations [2][4].
2. 2

   Record Medical Treatment Preferences and Designate a Family Representative

   • Legal framework for clinical consent: Palestinian Public Health Law No. 20 of 2004 requires informed patient consent for medical and surgical procedures, but does not establish a formal statutory living-will registry authorizing the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment [2][6].
   • Recording treatment preferences in the clinical file: While your family member retains full decision-making capacity, we advise holding a structured consultation with the attending physician to document symptom-management priorities, hospital transfer preferences, and surgical consent limits directly in the hospital medical file [2].
   • Designating a healthcare spokesperson: When an adult patient becomes unable to communicate, Palestinian hospitals consult the closest adult legal family representative (Wali) [2][3]. Executing a written notarial authorization naming a primary family contact ensures medical teams have a single, clear point of communication during urgent hospital admissions [3].
3. 3

   Execute Notarial Powers of Attorney and Bank Mandates While Capacity Is Intact

   • Notarial Powers of Attorney (Wakala Adliyya): Under Palestinian civil and notarial law, a power of attorney is valid only if executed while the principal holds full mental capacity (Ahliyya Qanuniyya Kamilah) [3]. Your family member can execute a General Power of Attorney (Wakala Amma) or a Specific Power of Attorney (Wakala Khassa) before the Public Notary (Katib al-Adl) at the regular courts supervised by the High Judicial Council and the Ministry of Justice [3].
   • Hospital or home bedside notarization: If the ill person is physically unable to visit the Notary Public office at the courthouse, the family may submit a formal request to the Katib al-Adl to conduct an external bedside attendance at the hospital or home, supported by a medical certificate confirming that the patient is conscious and mentally competent [3].
   • Banking and land registry requirements: Banks regulated by the Palestine Monetary Authority and the Land Authority (Sultat al-Aradi) strictly require specific powers of attorney that explicitly enumerate banking transactions, pension collection, or real property dispositions, and often enforce validity periods on general mandates [3].
4. 4

   Activate Disability Benefits, Medical Retirement, and Caregiver Support

   • Medical assessment and disability card: Patients whose illness causes severe functional impairment can apply for evaluation by the Regional Medical Committee (Al-Lajna al-Tibbiyya al-Liwa'iyya) of the Ministry of Health to obtain an official disability percentage report [2]. This report enables registration with the Ministry of Social Development (Wizarat al-Tanmiya al-Ijtima'iyya) under the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities No. 4 of 1999 for social protection cash assistance, assistive devices, and customs or health exemptions [4][6].
   • Public-sector medical retirement: Civil servants insured with the Palestinian Pension Agency under General Retirement Law No. 7 of 2005 may apply for extended paid sick leave or medical disability retirement upon certification by the Higher Medical Committee [2][6].
   • Private-sector sick leave and caregiver leave: Under Palestinian Labour Law No. 7 of 2000, private-sector employees are entitled to statutory paid sick leave upon medical certification, and employed family members may apply for paid annual leave or unpaid compassionate leave to care for a seriously ill relative [6].
5. 5

   Review Wills, Civil Status Records, and Property Documentation

   • Verifying civil registry records: Confirm that your family member's Palestinian identity card (Hawiyya), birth record, and family civil extract held by the Ministry of Interior accurately list all spouses and children, as any unrecorded marriage or spelling discrepancy will delay future court filings [1].
   • Wills (Wasiyya) and personal status rules: Under the Personal Status laws applied by the Sharia Courts in Palestine, statutory inheritance shares are fixed by law; a voluntary testamentary bequest (Wasiyya) is capped at one-third of the net estate and should be formally registered before the competent Sharia Court, while recognized Christian communities register testamentary instruments in accordance with their ecclesiastical court statutes [3].
   • Property deeds and cross-border legalization: Consolidate original land registration deeds (Tabu or Maliyya tax extracts), bank records, and commercial registrations [3]. If a designated representative or asset is located outside Palestine, powers of attorney executed abroad must be authenticated by the Palestinian diplomatic mission and legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and the Ministry of Justice in Palestine [3][5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Ministry of Interior - State of Palestine Civil Status Portal — Ministry of Interior (moi.pna.ps)
2. [2]
   Ministry of Health - Public Health Services, Referrals, and Medical Committees — Ministry of Health (moh.gov.ps)
3. [3]
   High Judicial Council - Courts and Notary Public Procedures — High Judicial Council (courts.gov.ps)
4. [4]
   Ministry of Social Development - Disability and Social Protection Programs — Ministry of Social Development (mosd.gov.ps)
5. [5]
   Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates - Consular Legalization Services — Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (mofa.pna.ps)
6. [6]
   Occupied Palestinian Territory - Public Health, Disability, Labour, and Pension Legislation — International Labour Organization NATLEX (natlex.ilo.org)