Tulkarem, occupied West Financial institution – Fawza Awad, a 75-year-old widow, couldn’t maintain again her tears as she described the residing circumstances she has endured since being displaced from the Tulkarem refugee camp in January 2025 – a results of an Israeli military operation that focused refugee camps within the northern West Financial institution, forcibly displacing tens of 1000’s of Palestinians from their properties.
With little cash, Fawza and her household discovered shelter the place they might: a small, unfinished home in Tulkarem belonging to her daughter. She at the moment lives in a portion of the construction alongside her son, his spouse, and their youngster.
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The household beforehand relied on restricted monetary and meals help offered by the World Meals Programme (WFP), however has not obtained assist up to now 5 months.
The UN company formally announced a 50 percent reduction within the variety of meals assist recipients within the occupied West Financial institution in September, citing “important funding constraints”, the results of decreased funding from worldwide funders. Meals wants, conversely, have greater than doubled since 2023, when Israel started its genocidal battle on Gaza, and elevated assaults on Palestinians within the West Financial institution.
The WFP famous on the time that roughly 900,000 folks within the West Financial institution are at the moment affected by meals insecurity.
In a press release given to Al Jazeera, the WFP confirmed that some households had stopped receiving assist earlier than the official announcement in September.
Fawza and her household have been left to fend for themselves. There may be no prospect of returning to her previous residence – she says that the Israeli military has utterly demolished the construction, changing it with a large highway to facilitate the motion of its army automobiles.
She added that one in all her sons has been detained by Israel since 2024, whereas her different sons, who beforehand labored inside Israel, at the moment are all unemployed.
“I endure from bronchial asthma and hypertension, requiring month-to-month remedy that prices a minimum of 200 shekels ($64), an expense nobody covers for me. We used to obtain modest meals assist barely sufficient for 2 or three folks, however now that has stopped utterly,” Fawza informed Al Jazeera.
‘Not even bread’
Not distant, within the al-Muwahhad Faculty constructing within the Thannabeh suburb of Tulkarem, greater than 1,000 Palestinians displaced from the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps are sheltering, having discovered nowhere else to go and unable to pay lease.
Amongst them are Rabab Qasim, 47, her husband Talib Abu Sarriya, 72, and their three kids. For the second consecutive 12 months, they’ve been residing in a small, 30-square-metre (320sq-foot) room on the bottom flooring of the college, with no supply of revenue and completely reliant on assist.
For the previous three months, the household has obtained no assist in any way following the WFP meals help reduce.
“I endure from a herniated disc in my again, requiring month-to-month remedy that prices 300 shekels ($96) – an quantity I can not afford,” Rabab stated. “I additionally want bodily remedy, which I’ve by no means been capable of entry as a result of I can not pay for it. I sleep on a worn-out mattress on the ground; all I want for is to have the ability to purchase a mattress.”
Talib informed Al Jazeera that the household are sometimes unable to seek out bread or a meal, and continuously fall asleep hungry. It’s a far cry from their former life within the Tulkarem refugee camp, the place he as soon as owned a small vegetable stall. It was a modest livelihood, however one which gave them sufficient to get by.
Alone within the wrestle
The WFP has blamed rising Israeli pogroms and compelled displacements within the West Financial institution for devastating livelihoods, deepening starvation, and pushing households into much more extreme crises. The most recent quarterly meals safety evaluation carried out by the WFP signifies that 76 % of Palestinian households within the West Financial institution have skilled a big decline in revenue.
In keeping with the evaluation, 12 % of the inhabitants has poor meals consumption, and one-third of households can not afford a nutritious diet on account of quickly deteriorating financial circumstances. Rural areas and the governorates within the southern occupied West Financial institution have been the toughest hit.
Mentioned al-Amour, 61, a resident of Khirbet al-Rakeez in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, informed Al Jazeera that he and his 14-person household haven’t obtained any help from the WFP for the previous seven months.
In April 2025, whereas confronting repeated assaults by settlers on the village, Mentioned says he was shot by a settler. The harm resulted within the amputation of his leg and a everlasting incapacity; he continues to face periodic assaults and beatings at any time when he encounters the settlers – a part of the continued pogrom in opposition to Palestinians within the West Financial institution.
“They’re attempting to steal our land. I refuse to allow them to take it, and I’ll proceed to defend it, however I’m paying a heavy worth. Now, they’ve reduce off the help I used to obtain that helped my household stay steadfast right here,” he informed Al Jazeera.
As a result of amputation of his leg, al-Amour requires month-to-month medical remedy costing a minimum of 1,200 shekels ($385), an expense that he can not afford. He has no supply of revenue aside from a number of olive bushes, which settlers continuously try and seize.
Collapse of livelihoods
In cooperation with its companions, the WFP nonetheless gives help to 200,000 Palestinians within the West Financial institution by means of money transfers, meals vouchers, direct meals provides, livelihood programmes, and dietary companies.
Nonetheless, the WFP informed Al Jazeera that it merely doesn’t have the assets to cowl the wants of all of the households within the West Financial institution requiring help.
“The cessation of assist doesn’t indicate {that a} beneficiary is ineligible; relatively, it’s a broad determination affecting all present beneficiaries, whatever the consequence of their particular person evaluation,” the WFP stated. “It’s potential that modifications might happen, and assist may very well be reinstated for some beneficiaries; in such circumstances, they might be contacted and notified through textual content message.”
Economist and human rights activist Ubai Aboudi informed Al Jazeera that the West Financial institution is going through a humanitarian disaster exacerbated by the lack of the WFP meals assist, in addition to a monetary disaster affecting the Palestinian Authority (PA). Israel has utterly withheld the customs revenues it collects on behalf of the PA since Could 2025, leaving the authority unable to pay public sector salaries.
Aboudi famous different components, such because the tens of 1000’s of Palestinians beforehand employed in Israel and unlawful settlements within the West Financial institution who’ve been out of labor since October 2023, when Israel stopped giving them work permits.
He additionally added that Israeli restrictions on Palestinian and worldwide NGOs, together with the suspension of registration for 37 worldwide organisations and the closure of some native teams, have additional restricted the power to offer humanitarian help.
“Round half one million Palestinian households want meals help, whereas the precise want could also be larger,” Aboudi stated. “With assist declining from the World Meals Programme and different sources, many households are unable to safe meals.”
