World Food Programme Halves Aid to West Bank Palestinians Amid Funding Crisis

The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Tuesday that funding cuts are forcing it to reduce aid recipients in the occupied West Bank by half, warning of severe consequences. WFP Representative for Palestine, Sam Worrall, stated in Geneva that the agency must cut the number of people it assists in the West Bank from 400,000 to 200,000, even as food needs have more than doubled in the past two years.

Worrall explained that the West Bank previously did not suffer from food insecurity. However, since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, increased settler violence, escalating and prolonged Israeli military operations, strict movement restrictions, widespread demolitions, and displacement have undermined Palestinian livelihoods and exacerbated food insecurity.

A recent WFP analysis revealed that 76% of households in the West Bank have experienced a significant drop in income, leading many to sell assets and reduce the quantity and quality of their meals. The analysis also found that a third of families can no longer afford a nutritionally adequate diet due to rapid economic deterioration. Rural areas and southern governorates of the West Bank are the most affected.

Worrall added that families who once lived comfortably and earned a living from their land are now struggling to secure enough food.