GAZA/RAMALLAH, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian government on Tuesday warned of serious humanitarian consequences of cuts to international relief programs, including a decision by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to reduce food assistance to Gaza.
In a statement, the government said the WFP cuts due to funding shortages threaten the continuity of humanitarian assistance and could worsen the suffering of around 500,000 people in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Minister of Social Development Samah Hamad had met with WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Sikaw to discuss the impact of reduced assistance and joint efforts to mobilize sufficient funding to meet humanitarian needs in Gaza and the West Bank, it said.
The government called on the UN and donor countries to provide the necessary funding to sustain relief programs and intensify pressure on Israel to open border crossings and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian supplies, it added.
Meanwhile, Humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Tuesday that Palestinians in the West Bank are facing escalating violence, intimidation and insecurity by Israeli settlers.
In a press statement published on its website, the organization said on Oct. 15, "Israeli settlers violently assaulted an MSF colleague with a hand-sized rock launched by a slingshot during a targeted attack on his village in the south of the West Bank."
The organization condemned all attacks against civilians, calling for the protection of Palestinian communities, patients and healthcare workers. ■
