WFP halves West Bank food aid as funding dries up, leaving 900,000 at risk

As of September 2026 an estimated 900,000 people in the West Bank are food‑insecure, a figure that reflects food needs more than doubling since 2023. A recent WFP analysis shows that 76 percent of households have suffered a significant decline in income, while food and fuel prices rank among the highest in the Middle East. Consequently, 12 percent of the population experiences poor food consumption and roughly one‑third of families cannot afford a nutritious diet. Rural communities and the southern governorates are identified as the most severely affected.

Critical funding constraints have compelled the World Food Programme to halve its West Bank outreach, reducing support from 400,000 vulnerable people to 200,000 starting this month. The agency had been delivering cash, vouchers, food items, livelihood programs and nutritional services, but the shortfall now forces a sharp cutback. In Gaza, where WFP assists 1.5 million people—including one million receiving monthly food aid—the agency already reduced the cash value of assistance by 40 percent for 375,000 beneficiaries in July 2026. Over the next six months WFP says it urgently requires an additional USD 386 million to sustain operations for an estimated two million food‑insecure individuals across Gaza and the West Bank.

The reduction in assistance threatens to deepen an already fragile humanitarian situation, pushing more households toward severe hunger and limiting their ability to purchase basic staples. With cash and voucher programmes curtailed, families risk selling assets or further compromising meal quality to survive. WFP officials stress that without rapid mobilization of the requested USD 386 million, the agency will be unable to prevent a widening nutrition gap and could be forced to make additional cuts. The organization calls on the international community to step up funding to protect the most vulnerable populations in both territories.