UN food agency trims West Bank aid by half as hunger surges
The World Food Program is cutting its West Bank assistance from 400,000 to 200,000 people starting this month, citing severe funding shortfalls. The agency estimates 900,000 residents are now food insecure, with household incomes down sharply since 2023. It needs an additional $386 million over six months to sustain operations across Gaza and the West Bank.
The funding shortfall compounds a deteriorating economic picture across the Palestinian territories. WFP data shows 76% of West Bank households have lost significant income, with one-third unable to afford nutritious meals. Food and fuel prices in the region rank among the highest in the Middle East, while rural communities and the southern West Bank face the most acute hardship.
In Gaza, conditions remain critical despite a ceasefire signed in October 2025. One in five families eats only one meal daily, and half reported exhausting their food supplies within the past month. Three-quarters of households struggled to access markets in August. The agency collected hundreds of pallets of supplies through Kerem Shalom, distributing food to over 600,000 people, but ongoing security restrictions continue to hamper recovery.
This reduction could deepen food insecurity for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians already facing economic collapse, rising violence, and restricted access to land. Families cut from assistance may face difficult trade-offs between food, fuel, and other essentials. The funding gap also signals broader donor fatigue that could affect humanitarian operations elsewhere, potentially straining regional stability and prolonging dependency on emergency aid systems.