UN seeks €20m in food aid for besieged Palestinians

The United Nations’ World Food Programme has appealed for €20m in aid to help 500,000 Palestinian civilians who are unable to find food because of an Israeli blockade.

The Israel military has placed severe restrictions on the occupied Palestinian territories since the al Aqsa Intefadeh erupted in September 2000, crippling the Palestinian economy and leaving around 70% of the population unemployed.

A recent World Bank study found that half of the Palestinian population of three million is currently living below the official global poverty line of $2-a-day (€2.18).