West Bank families face rising hunger as WFP halves food assistance

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank are confronting severe food shortages after the United Nations World Food Programme halved the number of people receiving its nutritional support, according to an Al Jazeera report.

The agency announced in September that severe funding deficits, driven by declining contributions from global donors, forced it to cut its recipient list by 50 percent. This reduction came at a time when humanitarian needs had more than doubled since late 2023. The WFP estimates that around 900,000 residents in the West Bank currently experience food insecurity, while roughly 200,000 continue to get aid through vouchers, cash distributions, and nutritional supplies.

The cuts have hit displaced populations particularly hard. Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes following Israeli military incursions into refugee camps in the northern West Bank, including Tulkarem and Nur Shams. Many of those displaced have taken shelter in unfinished buildings or educational facilities, such as the al-Muwahhad School in Tulkarem's Thannabeh area, where over 1,000 people are living in cramped conditions without steady income.

Displaced families described going without food for days and struggling to afford essential medicine. Elderly and injured residents reported that their prior modest food packages had ceased several months ago. Many can no longer return home because their former residences were flattened during army operations, often paved over for military transport lanes.

The WFP explained that halting assistance to households was not based on individual eligibility criteria, but was instead an inevitable consequence of broad budget cutbacks. The organisation noted that if funding improves, some recipients could eventually see their benefits reinstated.

Widespread economic decline has amplified the humanitarian emergency. A quarterly assessment by the WFP found that 76 percent of West Bank households have experienced sharp drops in income. Approximately one-third cannot afford nutritious meals, and 12 percent face inadequate food consumption, with rural locations and southern governorates suffering the most acute pressure.

In Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, rural residents contending with settler violence also reported losing food aid. One resident recounted losing a leg after being shot during a settler confrontation, leaving him unable to work his land or pay for needed medical care after food aid ceased seven months ago.

Economists and activists pointed out that the food cuts coincide with wider financial paralysis. Israel has withheld Palestinian Authority tax revenues since May 2025, leaving civil servants unpaid, while tens of thousands of labourers lost jobs after Israel stopped granting work permits in late 2023. At the same time, regulatory curbs on international and domestic non-governmental organisations have constrained relief operations throughout the territory.