Fawza Awad, a 75-year-old widow from the Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, tearfully recounted the dire living conditions she has faced since being displaced by an Israeli military operation in January 2025. According to her testimony, the military actions completely demolished her home, replacing it with a wide road for military vehicles, forcing her family to seek shelter in an unfinished structure belonging to her daughter.
The family previously relied on limited food assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP), but support abruptly ceased five months ago. The UN agency announced a 50 percent reduction in food aid recipients across the occupied West Bank in September, citing critical funding constraints from international donors. Meanwhile, food insecurity has surged dramatically, with approximately 900,000 people currently suffering from lack of reliable nourishment in the territory.
Similar hardships are experienced by thousands sheltering in makeshift spaces, such as Rabab Qasim and her family living in a cramped schoolroom in Tulkarem. Rabab suffers from a herniated disc requiring costly medical care she cannot afford, while her husband Talib stated they frequently go to sleep hungry. WFP data indicates that 76 percent of Palestinian households in the West Bank have experienced a severe decline in income amid escalating economic deterioration.
Said al-Amour, a resident of Masafer Yatta, shared that he has not received WFP assistance for seven months following an incident in April 2025 where he was shot during settler attacks, resulting in the amputation of his leg. He continues to struggle with high medical expenses and recurrent assaults while trying to protect his remaining land from confiscation.
Economist and human rights activist Ubai Aboudi noted that the humanitarian catastrophe is further compounded by the financial crisis facing the Palestinian Authority, as the Israeli regime has withheld customs revenues since May 2025, halting public sector salaries. Combined with revoked work permits for tens of thousands of Palestinians, experts warn that the region's socio-economic fabric is near total collapse.
Source: www.aljazeera.com