GENEVA, Switzerland: The World Food Program (WFP) said on September 1 that a lack of funding is forcing it to reduce its food assistance in the occupied West Bank by half. The cuts come at a time when the need for aid is growing because of increasing settler violence, restrictions on movement and Israeli military operations.

The United Nations agency currently provides food, food vouchers and cash assistance to about 400,000 Palestinians in the West Bank. Most of those receiving help live in rural communities and areas in the south, including villages around Hebron. From this month, however, the program will be reduced to around 200,000 people, the WFP said.

The agency warned that the situation was becoming increasingly difficult for Palestinians who depend on aid to meet their basic needs.

Shaun Hughes, WFP Country Director for Palestine, said the agency faces a serious funding crisis even as conditions on the ground worsen.

"Right now, we should be scaling up our assistance in the West Bank, not cutting these vital lifelines," Hughes told a press briefing in Geneva.

He said several factors were making it harder for Palestinians to earn a living and buy enough food. These included strict movement restrictions, the demolition of homes and other buildings, and widespread displacement. Together, these pressures had damaged livelihoods and increased food insecurity, he said.

The Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating aid in the West Bank, COGAT, directed a Reuters request for comment to the Israeli military. The military did not immediately respond.

Hughes said the West Bank had previously not generally been viewed by humanitarian organizations as a food crisis. Instead, it was more often described as a human rights crisis. He said the growing economic and security pressures were now changing that situation.

He explained that many Palestinians were struggling to move freely and were losing access to land and employment. As a result, they were finding it increasingly difficult to earn enough money to feed their families.

"They now find themselves in a chokehold, unable to move freely to access land or jobs, and so unable to afford food for their families. They face incredible injustice and hardship," he said.

Other international organizations also provide assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank. These include the United Nations agency that supports Palestinian refugees. However, it was not immediately clear whether those organizations could increase their support to offset the WFP's cuts. The refugee agency is also facing serious financial difficulties.

The WFP said its funding shortage was affecting its work in Gaza as well. The agency currently provides assistance to around 1.5 million people there.

It warned that further reductions in its Gaza operations would also be necessary unless it receives additional funding.