Wheat reserves in Palestine could soon run out amid Ukraine conflict, Oxfam warns

Occupied Palestine (QNN) – Wheat flour reserves in the Occupied Palestinian Territory could be exhausted within three weeks, Oxfam International has warned.

In a statement on Monday, Oxfam pointed out that the cost of this food staple has surged by nearly 25% because of the Ukraine crisis.

“Palestinian households are being hit hard by rising global food prices, and many are struggling to meet their basic needs,” said Shane Stevenson, Oxfam Country Director in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.

Stevenson added the reliance on imports and the constraints forced upon the Palestinian households by Israel’s continuing military occupation, settler violence and land grabs are compounding the food crisis.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has to import 95% of its wheat but it owns no food storage infrastructure so is forced to rely instead on the Palestinian private sector and Israel’s facilities. Israel in turn imports half of its grain and cereals from Ukraine, according to Oxfam.

In the same context, the World Food Program said that the Ukraine crisis has increased food prices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory such as wheat flour (up by 23.6%), corn oil (26.3%) lentils (17.6%) and table salt (30%), decimating Palestinians’ purchasing power.

Oxfam reported that food insecurity across the Palestinian territories has jumped to 31.2%, and roughly 2.1 million people there will require humanitarian assistance this year.

Most households in the Gaza Strip are now buying food on credit. Many families are eating less and lower quality of food items. Families are cutting out more expensive food such as fruit, meat and chicken that are necessary for a healthy diet, Oxfam indicated.

“Every day we meet people who are searching for jobs and money just to feed their children. We feel very stuck at this stage,” Najla Shawa, Oxfam’s head of food security in Gaza, said.

“How can we draw attention from the international community to the deteriorating socio-economic situation in Gaza?” she wondered.

“Our work in Gaza is becoming increasingly challenging,” Shawa added.

“It is difficult to describe the true level of damage that all this is causing on people’s lives—it is devastating,” she pointed out.

The humanitarian organization called on the international community to urgently adopt a common and coordinated economic and diplomatic position that challenges Israel’s restrictive policies and allows Palestinians to invest in local food production and infrastructure.