West Bank Hunger Crisis Deepens as UN Food Aid Reductions Leave Displaced Families Stranded

Tulkarem, occupied West Bank – Fawza Awad, a 75-year-old widow, was moved to tears while recounting the hardships she has faced since being displaced from the Tulkarem refugee camp in January 2025. Her displacement was part of a larger Israeli military operation targeting northern West Bank refugee camps, which forced tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes.

With minimal financial resources, Fawza and her family sought refuge in an unfinished house in Tulkarem belonging to her daughter. She currently shares a small portion of the structure with her son, his wife, and their child.

The family had previously depended on modest financial and food assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP), but they have not received any aid for five months.

In September, the UN agency announced a 50 percent reduction in food aid recipients across the occupied West Bank, citing “critical funding constraints” due to diminished international support. This reduction comes at a time when food requirements have more than doubled since 2023, driven by the ongoing conflict in Gaza and escalating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The WFP has reported that approximately 900,000 people in the West Bank are currently facing food insecurity.

In a statement to Al Jazeera, the WFP confirmed that certain families had seen their assistance cease even before the official announcement in September.

Fawza and her relatives are now forced to survive on their own. There is no hope of returning to her former residence, as she says the Israeli military has demolished the home to make way for a wide road used by military vehicles.

She noted that one of her sons has been in Israeli detention since 2024, while her other sons, who previously worked in Israel, are now unemployed.

“I suffer from asthma and high blood pressure, which requires monthly medication costing at least 200 shekels ($64), an expense I must cover alone. We used to receive modest food aid that was barely enough for two or three people, but now that has stopped entirely,” Fawza told Al Jazeera.

‘Not even bread’

Nearby, in the al-Muwahhad School building in the Thannabeh suburb of Tulkarem, over 1,000 Palestinians displaced from the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps are sheltering because they have no other options and cannot afford rent.

Among them are Rabab Qasim, 47, her husband Talib Abu Sarriya, 72, and their three children. For two years, they have lived in a single 30-square-meter (320sq-foot) room on the ground floor of the school, possessing no income and relying entirely on humanitarian aid.

Following the WFP food assistance cuts, the family has not received any aid for the last three months.

“I suffer from a herniated disc that requires monthly treatment costing 300 shekels ($96), which I cannot afford,” Rabab said. “I also need physical therapy that I have never been able to access. I sleep on a worn-out mattress on the floor; my only wish is to be able to afford a bed.”

Talib informed Al Jazeera that the family often struggles to find even bread or a basic meal, frequently going to sleep hungry. This stands in stark contrast to their previous life in the Tulkarem refugee camp, where he operated a small vegetable stall that provided a modest but sufficient livelihood.

Alone in the struggle

The WFP has attributed the deepening hunger and economic crisis to increased settler attacks and forced displacements in the West Bank, which have devastated local livelihoods. A recent WFP quarterly food security analysis indicates that 76 percent of Palestinian households in the West Bank have seen a significant drop in income.

The analysis further shows that 12 percent of the population suffers from poor food consumption, and one-third of households are unable to afford a healthy diet due to the rapid economic decline. Rural areas and the southern governorates of the occupied West Bank have been particularly affected.

Said al-Amour, 61, a resident of Khirbet al-Rakeez in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, told Al Jazeera that he and his 14-member family have been without WFP assistance for seven months.

In April 2025, while defending his village against settler attacks, Said was shot, resulting in the amputation of his leg and permanent disability. He continues to face periodic assaults from settlers as part of the ongoing violence in the region.

“They are attempting to seize our land. I refuse to let them, and I will continue to defend it, but the cost is heavy. Now, the aid that helped my family remain steadfast has been cut off,” he told Al Jazeera.

Due to his injury, al-Amour requires monthly medical care costing at least 1,200 shekels ($385), an amount he cannot afford. His only source of income is a few olive trees, which are frequently targeted by settlers.

Collapse of livelihoods

In collaboration with various partners, the WFP continues to support 200,000 Palestinians in the West Bank through cash transfers, food vouchers, direct supplies, livelihood programs, and nutritional services.

However, the WFP told Al Jazeera that it lacks the resources to meet the needs of all families in the West Bank requiring assistance.

“The cessation of aid does not mean a beneficiary is ineligible; rather, it is a broad decision affecting all current beneficiaries, regardless of individual assessments,” the WFP stated. “Aid may be reinstated for some beneficiaries, in which case they will be notified via text message.”

Economist and human rights activist Ubai Aboudi told Al Jazeera that the West Bank is facing a humanitarian crisis fueled by the loss of WFP aid and a financial crisis impacting the Palestinian Authority (PA). Since May 2025, Israel has withheld customs revenues collected on behalf of the PA, leaving the authority unable to pay public sector salaries.

Aboudi also highlighted that tens of thousands of Palestinians who were employed in Israel have been out of work since October 2023, when Israel stopped issuing work permits.

Furthermore, Israeli restrictions on Palestinian and international NGOs—including the suspension of registration for 37 international organizations and the closure of several local groups—have severely hindered humanitarian efforts.

“Approximately half a million Palestinian families require food assistance, and the actual need may be even higher,” Aboudi said. “With aid declining from the WFP and other sources, many families are left unable to secure basic nutrition.”

Source link