Funding cuts force UN’s WFP to halve West Bank aid recipients

The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that funding cuts are forcing it to halve the number of aid recipients in the West Bank, from 400,000 to 200,000, as reported by Associated Press journalists in Geneva. Shaun Hughes, the agency's representative in the Palestinian territories, explained that this reduction is due to the dire consequences of funding cuts impacting food security in the region.

The WFP's latest quarterly food security analysis reveals that 76% of West Bank households have experienced a significant decline in income. Many families have been forced to sell assets and reduce their meal quantities and quality to survive. The analysis also indicates that a third of families cannot afford a nutritious diet due to the rapidly deteriorating economy. Those living in rural areas and southern West Bank governorates are the most affected by this crisis.

Hughes emphasized that this situation is exacerbated by intensified settler violence, prolonged Israeli military operations, severe movement restrictions, demolitions, and widespread displacement in the West Bank. These factors have eroded Palestinian livelihoods and contributed to increased food insecurity. The WFP warns that the dire consequences of these funding cuts could lead to even more severe consequences for the already vulnerable population in the West Bank.