DUBAI: As of September, 200,000 Palestinians living in the West Bank will lose critical food aid after severe funding shortfalls forced the World Food Programme to halve its relief list.

“Families who were once thriving and earning a living from their land are now unable to afford enough food,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP Country Director for Palestine.

The number of food aid recipients in the West Bank will fall from 400,000 to 200,000 in September, the WFP told Arab News following their announcement that they will slash in half the number of aid recipients on Tuesday.

The dramatic rollout of aid cuts comes as escalating settler violence, military operations, and widespread job losses double the region’s food insecurity, leaving 900,000 residents struggling to meet basic daily needs.

Around 3 million Palestinians live across the West Bank and most are living in dire conditions and rely on food aid from humanitarian aid agencies such as WFP.

“Today an estimated 900,000 people are food insecure in the West Bank - with increased settler violence and displacement disrupting livelihoods, deepening hunger and pushing families further into crisis,” the WFP said.

The WFP’s most recent food security analysis found 76 percent of households in the West Bank have experienced a significant decline in income, and food and fuel prices are on the rise forcing families to sell assets to survive.

"This is happening as the food needs in the West Bank are more than double what they were two years ago," he warned.

“At a time when WFP should be scaling up assistance to reach more people, we are being forced to make difficult decisions, prioritizing the most vulnerable while cutting assistance to others despite widespread needs. We urge the international community to act immediately and step up support for Palestinians,” added Hughes.

Funding shortfalls are also affecting the WFP’s operations in Gaza, where the agency supports 1.5 million people, including one million who receive monthly food assistance.

In July, the WFP reduced by 40 percent the cash value of its assistance for 375,000 people.

Israel has occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967. The Israeli military has established many settlements which are regarded as illegal by the international community.

Over the past few months, the West Bank has seen a ​surge ‌in ⁠militant ​Israeli settler attacks ⁠on Palestinians as well as military raids into Palestinian towns.

"Intensified settler violence, prolonged and escalating Israeli military operations, severe movement restrictions, demolitions and widespread displacement in the West Bank have eroded Palestinian livelihoods and contributed to increased food insecurity," added Hughes.