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WFP / WEST BANK HUNGER SURGE
STORY: WFP / WEST BANK HUNGER SURGE
TRT: 03:30
SOURCE: WFP
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WFP ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 30 JANUARY 2024, HEBRON, WEST BANK / 31 JANUARY 2024, NABLUS, WEST BANK / 01 FEBRUARY 2024, JERICHO, WEST BANK / 09 FEBRUARY 2024, JERUSALEM, WEST BANK
31 JANUARY 2024, NABLUS, WEST BANK
1. Various shots, city and traveling shots, security walls separating Israelis from Palestinians
01 FEBRUARY 2024, JERICHO, WEST BANK
2. Various shots, Mohamed Abushushe, a produce farmer, checks tomato plants in his greenhouse.
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohamed Abushushe, Farmer:
“We have many problems, the checkpoints, you cant work freely, the produce can only be sold outside the town, if it stays here it rots on the ground, its difficult to sell because of the checkpoints, the harassment and pressure on farmers.”
4. Med shot, Mohamed Abushushe in his cauliflower field
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohamed Abushushe, Farmer:
“We’re throwing away the vegetables, and people (in Gaza) are eating tree leaves. And this is a big tragedy. The international community is just watching. “
6. Med shot, Mohamed Abushushe in his cauliflower field
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohamed Abushushe, Farmer:
“The West Bank and Gaza are one. Our people in Gaza are hungry, and we are trying to sell produce.”
30 JANUARY 2024, HEBRON, WEST BANK
8. Various shots, Hebron, one of the most contested and militarized cities in the West Bank, the escalation of tensions after Oct 7th have resulted in an informal curfew, closed schools and food shops.
9. Various shots, market in old city of Hebron, normally the market place would be crowded with shoppers. Now its nearly empty. Nets protect the people in the markets from having stones and garbage thrown at them from the settlements above.
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohamed Shawardam, Shopkeeper:
“These days, with the war going on, the situation is much worse, the harassment has increased.”
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohamed Shawardam, Shopkeeper “ The people who live here, Martyrs street, they are under strict lock-down and are only allowed to leave for two hours a day, two days week only. From 7 to 8 am and 4 to 5 pm. After that, people can’t return home. They can only move around once every three days.” (People who receive WFP electronic cash vouchers can redeem them at Mohamed’s shop.)
12. Med shot, Mohamed Shawardam’s shop
09 FEBRUARY 2024, JERUSALEM, WEST BANK
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Marika Guderian, WFP Palestine Dep. Country Director :
“With the war in Gaza, shops are impacted, people are impacted because of the food prices, they don't have jobs anymore and so even before the crisis we already struggled with funding and the needs were high. Now the needs are even much higher. So it's really urgently required that we get more funds to help those people in need or really suffering because of the impact of the Gaza war in the West Bank.”
31 JANUARY 2024, NABLUS, WEST BANK
14. Various shots, Nablus
15. Various shots, WFP E-Voucher Shop, shopping for food using WFP e-voucher
The West Bank is grappling with escalating violence, arrests, and movement restrictions that impact hunger. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are losing their work permits and are unable to leave the West Bank, while commercial activity inside is limited. This puts the economy – and the humanitarian situation - at risk of further deterioration.
Since the onset of the recent escalation, the situation in the West Bank has witnessed a deterioration both politically and economically. Heightened hostilities have brought about an increase in Israeli military presence, resulting in the imposition of movement restrictions and the establishment of additional checkpoints, severely limiting the movement of the people. The situation has negative economic implications, with a staggering number of workers losing their jobs, businesses being forced to close or downsize, and the Palestinian Authority facing a funding shortfall, impacting the salaries of civil servants.
In the last three months of 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the State of Palestine decreased by 22 percent. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including closure in the West Bank and significant layoffs of Palestinian workers in Israel. Unemployment has risen to 29 percent, compared to only 13 percent in the preceding three months of the year.
According to preliminary assessments from the Food Security Sector partners, food insecurity in the West Bank has risen from 350,000 (approx. 10 percent of the population) to an estimated 600,000 people since the Gaza crisis. It is expected to increase further in the coming months. The highest number of people facing food insecurity are in Nablus and Hebron.
Increased movement restrictions mean farmers in towns can’t sell their produce, and buyers can’t access markets. Food prices have soared in towns and cities, while unemployment and poverty are on the rise.
Food in the West Bank is inaccessible to people, while less than 100 km away, Gaza is starving.
In January, WFP scaled up its assistance to reach over 100,000 additional vulnerable people across the West Bank with electronic voucher assistance, as well as provide around 3000 Gazan workers stuck in the West Bank with a one-time cash assistance.
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