WFP warns of hunger crisis in West Bank

WEST BANK — The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the West Bank is moving toward a hunger crisis, according to a post on Telegram by the Turkish news agency Anadolu Ajansı. The post was published on 19 October 2026.

The post said the WFP warned that violence by Israelis against Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, together with growing food insecurity, could lead to a hunger crisis. The report describes the situation as one in which human rights and security concerns are ongoing.

According to the same post, food insecurity in the territory has more than doubled over the past three years. It said about 1 million Palestinians now need food assistance. The post did not say which survey or data set these figures came from, and the original WFP statement was not included in the material reviewed for this report.

The post did not include any statement from the WFP, the Israeli government or the Palestinian Authority on the warning. It also did not say how many people have been affected by settler violence in recent months, or whether any new aid operations are planned.

The Anadolu Ajansı post is a social media item and has not been confirmed by a WFP release or another news outlet. The figures on food insecurity and the number of people needing aid are therefore attributed only to that post.

Background

The West Bank is a territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians living there are subject to Israeli military control, while Israeli settlements built in the territory are considered illegal under international law by most of the international community. Israel disputes this position.

Food insecurity in the West Bank has been linked in past UN reporting to movement restrictions, checkpoints, loss of income and access to land. The WFP has run food assistance programmes in Palestinian territories for many years. The agency's statements on the West Bank have usually focused on the economic effects of restrictions and conflict on households.

Reports of settler attacks on Palestinian villages and farmland have increased in recent years, according to rights groups and the United Nations. The Anadolu Ajansı post refers to violence against Palestinian land but does not give details of specific incidents.