\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re running out of funding, and that means that from today, some 200,000 people will lose access to critical assistance,\u201d Shaun Hughes, WFP country director for Palestine, told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said intensified settler violence and escalating Israeli military operations alongside severe movement restrictions, demolitions and widespread displacement \u201chave eroded Palestinian livelihoods and contributed to increased food insecurity<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n At the same time, a crippling economic crisis \u201cis pushing people to breaking point\u201d, with unemployment more than doubling and over a third of the population struggling to meet their basic needs.<\/p>\n \u201cFood may be available in the markets, but people simply cannot afford it<\/strong>,\u201d he said, speaking from London.<\/p>\n Today, nearly a million people across the West Bank \u2013 over a quarter of the population \u2013 are now food insecure, he said, adding that \u201ctwo years ago, that figure was 11 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n During recent visits to the territory, Mr. Hughes saw families that used to earn a living from the land \u201cnow forced from their homes, their livelihoods destroyed\u201d and facing incredible injustice and hardship.<\/p>\n \u201cThey now find themselves in a chokehold, unable to move freely to access land or jobs and so unable to afford food for their families,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In response to journalists\u2019 questions, he said that the West Bank was not traditionally considered to be experiencing a food crisis, but that increasing pressures were exacerbating food insecurity<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n He added that the very small cash transfers that WFP provided \u2013 about 50 shekels per person per month (less than $20) \u2013 had become a \u201creal lifeline\u201d for many people and would now be cut off due to the funding shortfall.<\/p>\n Turning to the Gaza Strip, Mr. Hughes said that WFP was also forced to reduce its cash assistance to 75,000 families in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n He stressed that the recent slight improvements in food security indicators reported last month \u201cshould not create a false sense of security<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>as two thirds of the population still face critical and emergency levels of hunger.\u00a0<\/p>\n He warned that if humanitarian food aid does not continue,\u00a0\u201cup to 90 per cent of the population will face high levels of acute food insecurity by the end of this year<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n WFP requires $386 million to avoid any further reductions in assistance provided in Gaza and the West Bank over the next six months, he said, urging continued international support and solidarity.<\/p>\n \u201cAs global crises multiply and domestic fiscal interests take over, there is a real danger that the world\u2019s attention moves on from Palestine, but the needs of Palestinians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, have not moved on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cNow is not the time to look away.\u201d<\/p>\n From inside the Gaza Strip, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Occupied Palestinian Territory voiced concern about the security situation as airstrikes continued despite the ceasefire last October.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr. Renee van de Werdt was in Gaza City on Monday, where a nearby strike killed several people.\u00a0<\/p>\n This was her sixth visit to the Strip, and she painted a grim picture of \u201cendless piles of rubble\u201d and \u201covercrowded\u201d and flimsy tents.<\/p>\n \u2018Unacceptable\u2019 water situation<\/strong><\/p>\n She highlighted the catastrophic water situation in the enclave, noting that trucking is usually used in the immediate aftermath of disasters and crises.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is really unacceptable to see in Gaza, almost three years in, that these trucks are still the lifeline most Gazans depend on,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>she said.<\/p>\n Dr. van de Werdt expressed grave concern over both the quantity and quality of water reaching the population. She said microbiological contamination has \u201calmost tripled\u201d since January due to the extremely limited testing capacity in the Strip.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe laboratory capacities in Gaza remain very, very, very limited<\/strong>,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can only detect and track essential microbiological contaminants. We do not have the ability to detect and track other contaminants that are likely to be present in the water and in the environment.”<\/p>\n Dr. Van de Weert said that the number of acute watery diarrhoea cases has nearly doubled from about 30,000 in March to more than 58,000 in August.<\/p>\n The water and sanitation situation is likely to worsen during the winter months, with sewage water flowing and emitting odours throughout densely populated areas.<\/p>\n In positive developments, WHO has noted a marked improvement in medical and clinical care in Gaza but this progress \u201chas not been fast enough and also not equal\u201d.<\/p>\nPushed to the brink<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Families \u2018in a chokehold\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Gaza: Don\u2019t look away<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Looming health crisis<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Contamination concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Medical progress and challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n