Attachments
Overview
Nearly the entire population of Gaza is experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, and acute malnutrition among children under 5 years of age has reached unprecedented levels. At the same time, hundreds of thousands in the West Bank are in urgent need of food security assistance. Gaza’s agriculture sector, the backbone of its food security, has been decimated, with estimated damages of USD 835 million and losses totaling USD 1.3 billion. Three-quarters of Gazan croplands (11 293 hectares) have been damaged, leaving once-productive fields barren. Greenhouses, essential for year-round vegetable production, have suffered similar destruction, with over half (56.5 percent) damaged. Furthermore, water shortages have become even more acute, as nearly seven out of ten agricultural wells are now non-functional.
Livestock-keeping households have been among the hardest hit. Only one in three sheep and four in ten goats survived, while 96 percent of cattle and 99 percent of poultry were lost, preventing access to a crucial source of protein and income. In addition, critical infrastructure has collapsed, with extensive damage to essential facilities: 645 home barns, 625 broiler farms, 502 sheep farms, 318 agricultural warehouses, 278 livestock shelters, 233 fishponds, 81 dairy farms, and 29 agricultural input suppliers, among others.
In the West Bank, more than three out of ten individuals within the labour force are now unemployed. Farming and livestock-keeping households are struggling to maintain production due to the loss of essential agricultural inputs and increased restrictions on access to land, placing them at severe risk of irreversible loss of their livelihoods.
Despite mounting humanitarian access challenges, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its field presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, has been delivering emergency agricultural assistance to safeguard remaining livelihoods and prevent the total collapse of agrifood systems. In Gaza, FAO has distributed over 1 800 tonnes of animal feed, supporting around 4 800 livestock keepers and 459 donkey owners to sustain their surviving animals. Additionally, 2 452 livestock keepers have received veterinary kits, preventing further livestock losses and the spread of animal and zoonotic diseases. In the West Bank, FAO has distributed 628 tonnes of drought-tolerant barley seed, 314 tonnes of vetch, 600 veterinary kits, 400 energy blocks and 600 farm and dairy toolkits, while also providing 580 water tanks to address urgent needs. Additionally, FAO continues to deploy its technical expertise to support the humanitarian response by producing thematic evidence-based data and analysis on food security and agriculture, ensuring that food security response efforts are informed, targeted and effective.
FAO requires
USD 74.5 million
To assist
154 000 people
Period
January – December 2025
FAO’s efforts will focus on delivering critical agricultural inputs, protecting remaining livestock, and restoring local food production to reduce dependence on external food aid and support communities in rebuilding their productive capacities and resilience.