The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Tuesday that it will reduce its food assistance in the occupied West Bank by half due to significant funding shortfalls, despite a reported increase in demand driven by escalating violence and military activity. The UN agency has been providing food, vouchers, and cash support to approximately 400,000 Palestinians, primarily in rural communities and southern areas such as Hebron. Starting this month, that number will drop to 200,000 recipients.

Shaun Hughes, WFP Country Director for Palestine, highlighted the intensifying challenges faced by Palestinians in the West Bank, citing "severe movement restrictions, demolitions, and widespread displacement" that have undermined livelihoods and heightened food insecurity. "Right now, we should be scaling up our assistance in the West Bank, not cutting these vital lifelines," Hughes said.

The cuts come as major Western donors, including the United States, have scaled back foreign aid contributions amid shifting priorities toward domestic spending and defense. Aid agencies warn that the reduction in food assistance risks worsening humanitarian conditions in an already vulnerable population.

The West Bank has seen a rising tide of settler violence and Israeli military operations over the past three years following the outbreak of conflict in Gaza. Militant Jewish settlers have reportedly increased seizures of land and water resources in the area. Most UN agencies and the international community consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law concerning military occupations. Israel disputes this characterization, maintaining that the territory is disputed rather than occupied.

Hughes noted a shift in the humanitarian outlook, stating that the West Bank was traditionally viewed as a human rights crisis rather than a food security emergency. However, restrictions on movement and access to farmland and employment have placed many Palestinians in a "chokehold," where they struggle to secure affordable food for their families. "They face incredible injustice and hardship," he said.

The WFP's decision underscores growing concerns about the deteriorating socio-economic conditions in the West Bank and the challenges of maintaining adequate humanitarian support amid constrained resources and a complex political landscape.