ReliefWeb

East Jerusalem – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a contribution of €6 million (US$6.5 million) from the Government of Germany to cover the food needs of more than 300,000 non-refugees in Gaza and the West Bank for up to three months. WFP will use this generous donation from the German Federal Foreign Office to continue providing food assistance through electronic food vouchers for 274,000 non-refugees in Gaza and the West Bank for two months. Families can use the vouchers to buy food items of their choice in any of WFP designated shops across Gaza and the West Bank.

Another 35,000 people in Gaza will receive food rations for three months. The food rations include fortified wheat flour, pulses, vegetable oil and iodized salt.

“The COVID-19 crisis has pushed thousands of people further into poverty and hunger increasing humanitarian needs amidst an ailing economy. This necessitates more extensive interventions from WFP and other agencies,” said WFP Representative and Country Director Stephen Kearney. We have faith in our donors’ support to respond to increasing needs and are grateful to the Government and people of Germany for their consistent and reliable support at this difficult time.”

Germany is one of the largest donors to WFP globally and is WFP’s top donor in Palestine with contributions totalling nearly US$19 million over the past three years.

WFP assists non-refugee communities in Gaza and the West Bank who face high levels of unemployment and live under the deep national poverty line of US$3.7 a day to cover basic housing, clothing and food needs. WFP, with donors’ support, deliver food assistance predominantly through cash-based transfers but also through direct food distributions.

This year, WFP has provided regular food assistance to more than 345,000 of the poorest and most food insecure people among the non-refugee populations in Gaza and the West Bank.

Contact

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):

Yasmine Abuelassal, WFP/Jerusalem, Mob. +972 546773170

Shurouq Qawariq, WFP/Jerusalem, Mob. +972 546773160