WFP: Settler violence pushes the West Bank toward a hunger crisis

Skau said he had conducted field visits in the occupied Palestinian territories and witnessed burnt olive groves and evacuated farms in the West Bank, which is currently in the harvest season, noting the ongoing problems related to human rights and security.

He added: "This situation has long been a human rights and protection crisis, and it remains so at its core, but it is now also turning into a hunger crisis."

He pointed out that food insecurity in the West Bank has more than doubled over the past three years, and that about one million Palestinians are currently in need of food assistance.

Funding Shortage

Skau indicated that a lack of funding has exacerbated these difficulties, explaining that the number of Palestinians receiving support in the West Bank has dropped in recent weeks from about 400,000 to 200,000.

He said: "We are doing everything we can to identify the most vulnerable people, but this is a very difficult process because large numbers of people are suffering severely. The problem, once again, lies in the lack of funding."

He considered that the situation in the region has long been characterized by extreme tension, and that the issue of food represents "a line that should not be crossed."

He added: "Where hunger spreads, instability also emerges. Therefore, we renew our call to the international community to activate diplomatic tools to address this crisis in the West Bank, increase support, and provide urgent funding to ensure the continuation of our programs and assistance to alleviate the pressures on them."

Since the beginning of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, attacks by the Israeli army and settlers against Palestinians and their property have intensified in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

About 750,000 settlers live in 194 settlements and 400 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to official Palestinian data.