The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said the cuts in food aid from January 1 would affect about 190,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The number represents about half of all UN aid recipients in the region.

Stephen Kearney, WFP country director in the Palestinian Territories said: "WFP has been forced, unfortunately, to make drastic cuts to the number of people that we support across Palestine, both in Gaza and the West Bank."

The agency has been forced to make the cutbacks because "the amount of funding that we are receiving is dropping drastically," Kearney said. "The people that we do reach are the most vulnerable across Palestine, and we appreciate that we are going to put further anxiety on these families," he said.

Earlier this week, the UN and the Palestinian Authority had appealed for $350 million (€307 million) in aid for Palestinians next year. The WFP needs $57 million to maintain its support for the 360,000 Palestinians it currently provides with aid.

Israel's blockade

The WFP director was gloomy in his assessment of a long-term political solution for Gaza and the West Bank.

Read more: Fresh wave of violence erupts between Israelis and Palestinians

While food aid was critical he said, Israel's blockade and Palestinian factional infighting would prevent a resolution.

For 12 years there has been an Israeli blockade of Gaza by land, air and sea. That means about 1.9 million people remain isolated in a 365-square-kilometer (140-square-mile) enclave. The unemployment rate across Gaza is about 53 percent.

Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to a complex system of control by Israeli forces which restricts their freedom of movement.

Last Sunday, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jamie McGoldrick, expressed his concern over the deteriorating security situation in the West Bank.

"I am deeply concerned by the escalation of violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is continuing yet again today," McGoldrick said. "I condemn the attacks on Israeli and Palestinian civilians perpetrated over the last seven days, which have led to the tragic deaths of a newborn Israeli child and an 18-year-old Palestinian youth in Al Jalazun refugee camp, among others. Further violence and reckless action, which will only result in more tragedy and loss for families on both sides, must be stopped."

jm/msh (AP, Reuters)

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