By Abdullahi Lukman
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has cut food assistance in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by half because of severe funding shortages, reducing the number of people it can support from 400,000 to 200,000.
The agency warned that further reductions may be unavoidable in Gaza, where it currently assists about 1.5 million people, unless additional funding is secured.
WFP said it urgently needs $386 million over the next six months to provide assistance to an estimated two million food-insecure people across Gaza and the West Bank.
In Gaza, the agency reduced cash assistance by 40 per cent in July for about 375,000 people. A further reduction has already begun for approximately 75,000 families, according to Claire Nevill, WFP spokesperson for the Palestinian territories.
Nevill said the funding crisis had become more serious as worsening economic conditions, settler violence and incursions disrupted livelihoods in the West Bank and restricted residents’ access to farmland and livestock.
WFP estimated that about 900,000 people in the West Bank are currently food insecure, with food needs having more than doubled since 2023.
The agency said rising violence, displacement and economic deterioration had severely affected household incomes and access to food. About 76 per cent of households have experienced a significant decline in income, while one-third cannot afford a nutritious diet.
Rural communities and areas in the southern West Bank are among the hardest hit, with food and fuel prices remaining particularly high.
Shaun Hughes, WFP’s country director, said many families that previously depended on agriculture and other livelihoods could no longer afford adequate food. The agency is therefore being forced to prioritise the most vulnerable households while withdrawing or reducing assistance to others.
Conditions remain critical in Gaza despite improvements from the extreme levels recorded during last year’s famine. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said in July that the territory was no longer experiencing famine conditions in the areas previously affected but remained at crisis levels.
Recent humanitarian assessments indicate that about one in five families in Gaza was eating only one meal a day, while half of households reported running out of food at least once during the previous month.
WFP said about 75 per cent of households experienced difficulties accessing markets in August, as cash shortages and high food prices made it increasingly difficult to obtain basic necessities.
The UN and humanitarian partners have continued delivering food and other essential supplies through the Kerem Shalom crossing. During the August aid cycle, food parcels and wheat flour were distributed to more than 600,000 people.
However, humanitarian operations continue to face restrictions amid ongoing hostilities and security challenges despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas reached in October 2025.
UN agencies estimate that more than two million people have been displaced during the conflict, while extensive damage to homes and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and water facilities, continues to hamper recovery.
WFP said further funding is urgently required to prevent deeper cuts and maintain assistance to vulnerable households across Gaza and the West Bank.
