The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Tuesday that it will reduce its food assistance in the occupied West Bank by half due to funding shortfalls, even as escalating violence and military operations have increased humanitarian needs. The agency, which has been providing food, vouchers, and cash to approximately 400,000 Palestinians—primarily in rural areas and southern regions such as Hebron—will now scale back support to 200,000 people starting this month.

Shaun Hughes, WFP’s Country Director for Palestine, highlighted the deteriorating conditions, noting that severe movement restrictions, demolitions, and widespread displacement have undermined Palestinian livelihoods and exacerbated food insecurity. “Right now, we should be scaling up our assistance in the West Bank, not cutting these vital lifelines,” he said. Hughes further explained that the West Bank had traditionally been viewed more as a human rights crisis rather than a food emergency, but growing barriers to accessing land and employment have left many unable to afford basic food needs.

The reduction in aid coincides with a notable decline in funding from major Western donors, including the United States, which have shifted priorities toward domestic spending and defense. This decrease in international contributions comes amid heightened violence and increased land and water seizures by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, a trend that has intensified over nearly three years following the onset of conflict in Gaza.

United Nations agencies and a majority of countries classify Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law concerning military occupations. Israel disputes this view, characterizing the area as disputed territory rather than occupied.

The WFP’s decision underscores growing humanitarian challenges in the West Bank, where movement restrictions and military activities have left many Palestinians in a precarious situation. As aid diminishes, those affected face mounting hardship, caught in the midst of ongoing political and security tensions in the region.