The UN agency has applied cuts around the world, from war-torn Yemen to West Africa, which is suffering from its worst famine in years.
WFP executive director Carl Skau announced last week that the agency raised just $5 billion of the $20 billion it needs to operate fully, forcing it to suspend aid to 38 of the 86 countries where it is present.
This is particularly unfortunate for Palestinians in the West Bank, who are witnessing a surge in violence the likes of which they have not seen in two decades.
Homes in Jenin have broken doors and windows, a product of the recent Israeli military incursion, in which 12 Palestinians and one soldier were killed. Israel argues that its raids are intended to prevent future attacks.
“Food insecurity is a symptom of something bigger,” said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP director for the Palestinian territories. “Conflicts, lack of access and restrictions on mobility and barriers to daily life have led to rampant unemployment and poverty.”
The WFP said it has suspended aid to those who could earn additional income or help from other sources, such as money transfers from the Palestinian Authority to poor families.
Only the most vulnerable, 150,000 people in the West Bank and Gaza, continue to receive aid from the WFP, but the agency has warned it will scale back if donors do not provide more funds by November. Meanwhile, more than a million Palestinian refugees receive other assistance from a UN agency for refugees and their descendants.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
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