The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $15 million in additional humanitarian assistance for vulnerable Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, in response to rising food insecurity in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine and consequent global supply chain disruptions have resulted in increased food prices, deteriorating food security for vulnerable populations, and increased operating costs for humanitarian organizations in the West Bank and Gaza. This additional funding, provided via the UN World Food Program and two international non-governmental organizations, will support electronic food vouchers, multipurpose cash assistance, and emergency livelihoods support, helping more than 210,000 food-insecure Palestinians, primarily in Gaza, meet their household food needs in coming months.
To date in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, the United States has provided more than $34 million in humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations in the West Bank and Gaza, including more than $24 million from USAID. This additional USAID funding is part of the $2 billion in USAID humanitarian assistance announced by President Joe Biden on June 27 to address the global food security impacts of the Russian war against Ukraine. With this funding, USAID is addressing the most dire impacts of the global food security crisis through direct food assistance and related health, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services in countries with high levels of acute food insecurity, reliance on Russian and Ukrainian imports, and vulnerability to price shocks. This humanitarian assistance is in addition to USAID’s economic and development assistance of almost $100 million last FY, and approximately $125 million to be provided this FY to the West Bank and Gaza.
For the latest updates on USAID’s humanitarian assistance in the West Bank and Gaza, visit here.