Displaced West Bank Palestinians face growing hunger after UN cuts food aid

What the report says

Palestinian families displaced by Israeli military operations in the northern occupied West Bank are facing worsening food insecurity after the World Food Programme cut its assistance, according to Al Jazeera. The article focuses on Tulkarem and nearby areas, where residents who lost homes in the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps have been living in unfinished buildings and school shelters with little income or stable support.

Al Jazeera reported that the WFP reduced the number of food aid recipients in the occupied West Bank by 50 percent in September, citing critical funding constraints. Some families say their assistance stopped before the formal announcement, leaving them unable to afford basics such as bread, medicine and rent. The agency said it still assists 200,000 Palestinians in the West Bank through a mix of cash, vouchers, food supplies and nutrition support, but cannot meet all needs.

The report highlights several displaced residents, including a widow in Tulkarem who said her home was demolished and a school shelter family that has gone months without aid. It also cites a man in Masafer Yatta who lost a leg after being shot by a settler and says his family has also lost support. Their accounts illustrate the broader economic strain caused by displacement, unemployment and rising medical costs.

Al Jazeera said the WFP and local analysts view the cutbacks as part of a wider humanitarian crisis in the West Bank, shaped by increased attacks, reduced household incomes, and funding shortfalls affecting the Palestinian Authority and aid groups.