GENEVA, Switzerland: West Bank food aid will be reduced by half from this month because of funding shortages, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) warned Tuesday, raising concerns about the impact on Palestinian families facing worsening food insecurity.

The WFP said it would reduce the number of people receiving West Bank food aid from 400,000 to 200,000, as funding cuts force the agency to scale back its assistance in the Palestinian territory.

“This is happening as the food needs in the West Bank are more than double what they were two years ago,” WFP representative Shaun Hughes told reporters in Geneva.

The warning comes as economic conditions and access to food have deteriorated significantly since the Gaza war began in October 2023.

West Bank Food Aid Cut as Needs Surge

The reduction in West Bank food aid comes at a time when food insecurity has increased sharply across the Palestinian territory.

Shaun Hughes said food insecurity had not traditionally been a major problem in the West Bank. However, he said intensified settler violence, Israeli military operations, movement restrictions, demolitions and widespread displacement had severely affected Palestinian livelihoods.

According to the WFP’s latest quarterly food security analysis, 76% of households in the West Bank experienced a significant decline in income.

Many families have been forced to sell personal assets and reduce both the quantity and quality of their meals to cope with worsening economic conditions.

The WFP said around one-third of families cannot afford a nutritious diet, with rural communities and residents of southern West Bank governorates among those most severely affected.

Funding Cuts Threaten West Bank Food Aid

The funding shortage is placing additional pressure on West Bank food aid operations at a time when humanitarian needs are increasing.

Hughes warned that families that previously depended on their land and livelihoods are now struggling to afford sufficient food.

The reduction from 400,000 to 200,000 beneficiaries means thousands of families could lose access to assistance that has become increasingly important as household incomes decline.

The WFP’s findings suggest that the deterioration is not limited to food availability but is also closely linked to declining purchasing power and worsening economic conditions.

Families have increasingly been forced to make difficult choices, including cutting meals, reducing food quality and selling assets to meet basic needs.

West Bank Food Aid Crisis Deepens Amid Economic Pressure

The latest reduction in West Bank food aid highlights the growing humanitarian challenges facing Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP has warned that food needs have more than doubled over the past two years, while funding constraints are now forcing the agency to reduce the number of people it can assist.

The agency’s assessment also highlights the particular vulnerability of rural communities and southern West Bank areas, where declining incomes and disruption to livelihoods have made access to nutritious food increasingly difficult.

The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, and the humanitarian situation has deteriorated amid increased violence, restrictions on movement and displacement.

With humanitarian funding under pressure and food insecurity rising, the WFP’s decision to halve its assistance underscores the widening gap between West Bank food aid needs and available resources.