Posted on 04/26/22
| News Source: i24
'Food insecurity could worsen even further in the coming weeks, both in Gaza and the West Bank'
Russia's invasion of Ukraine may cause food shortages for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, United States Deputy Ambassador Richard M. Mills told the United Nations Security Council, according to media reports on Tuesday.
"Due to President Putin’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, food insecurity could worsen even further in the coming weeks, both in Gaza and the West Bank, as prices of food, fuel and other commodities rise," Mills told the UNSC during its monthly meeting in New York, according to The Jerusalem Post (The Post).
Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, also warned the Security Council of the possible food shortage.
"Following the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine, rising prices and market disruptions – which are taking place across the Middle East - threaten food security levels of vulnerable [Palestinian] families," he said, The Post reported.
Several weeks ago, Oxfam - a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on alleviating global poverty - warned of a wheat shortage in Palestinian territories.
“Every day, we meet people who are searching for jobs and money just to feed their children,” said Najla Shawa, Oxfam’s head of food security in Gaza, according to Forbes.
“We feel very stuck at this stage.”
Roughly 95 percent of Palestinians' wheat needs are met through importations, and about one-third of that comes from Ukraine.