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Food insecurity is worsening in the West Bank as the World Food Program (WFP) prepares to halve the number of people receiving food assistance because of a critical funding shortage, according to Anadolu Agency.
From Sept. 1, 2026, the WFP plans to reduce assistance coverage from 400,000 people to 200,000. The agency estimates that about 900,000 people in the West Bank are now food insecure, more than twice the figure recorded two years earlier.
Seventy-six percent of households have reported a significant fall in income, while one-third cannot afford nutritious food. The WFP says it needs an additional $386 million to support operations in Gaza and the West Bank during the six months beginning in September 2026.
Economic pressures intensify
The economic crisis has been building for years. Since 2019, Israel has withheld parts of Palestinian customs revenue. The pressure increased after Oct. 7, 2023, when approximately 200,000 Palestinian workers previously employed in Israel lost their jobs.
Customs revenue and labor income from Israel are among the largest sources of income for the West Bank economy. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the cost of living across the Palestinian territories rose by 53.67% in 2024, while purchasing power fell by 34.93%. It declined by a further 12% in 2026.
Settler violence, Israeli military operations, movement restrictions, demolitions and displacement have further damaged livelihoods since October 2023. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported more than 1,600 settler attacks involving casualties or property damage between January and August 2026, affecting 275 Palestinian communities.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization said agricultural households were facing restricted access to farmland and grazing areas, checkpoints, water shortages, demolitions, displacement, violence, job losses, declining incomes and higher food, transport and agricultural input costs.
Food is available but unaffordable
The West Bank is not experiencing an absolute lack of food. Food remains available in local markets, but many people can no longer afford it or reach the land and jobs that previously supported their families.
Unemployment has risen to about 30%, while food insecurity has increased from approximately 11% of the population two years ago to more than one-quarter today. Families that once relied on agriculture have been displaced or had their livelihoods disrupted by movement restrictions and violence.
The situation reflects the concept of “entitlement failure” associated with economist Amartya Sen: hunger can result not from the disappearance of food, but from people losing the economic, legal or social means to obtain it.
Funding shortfalls affect Gaza and the wider aid system
The WFP has said the reduction is caused by a lack of funding, not by an improvement in conditions. Funding pressures are also affecting Gaza, where the agency has reduced the cash value of assistance by 40%, affecting 1.5 million people, including one million monthly food-aid recipients.
The latest UN appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory sought about $4.06 billion. Roughly 92% of the requested funds were allocated to Gaza and just over 8% to the West Bank, reflecting the scale of Gaza’s humanitarian emergency.
However, humanitarian agencies warn that the worsening West Bank crisis should not remain overlooked while international attention is focused on Gaza. The global aid system is also facing a broader funding shortage. Contributions from developed countries fell to an estimated $33.3 billion in 2025, leaving 64 million fewer people receiving assistance.
No organization currently has the capacity to replace the WFP on the required scale. The UN says the agency is the largest provider of food assistance in the West Bank and that the cut will significantly restrict the wider humanitarian response.
The reduction highlights a deeper problem, analysts say: Palestinians are becoming increasingly dependent on aid as access to land, employment and local economies deteriorates. The right to food under international law means sustainable physical and economic access to adequate, culturally acceptable food, rather than merely the right to receive emergency assistance.
