Palestinians Could Run Out Of Wheat Reserves In Three Weeks In Ripple Effect Of Ukraine War

Palestinians Could Run Out Of Wheat Reserves In Three Weeks In Ripple Effect Of Ukraine War

A Palestinian volunteer cook distributes food prepared with ingredients obtained from donors, to help needy families in an impoverished neighborhood in Gaza City in January 2021. Collateral damage from Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war in Ukraine will almost certainly include hunger and greater food insecurity around the world and, according to international aid organization Oxfam, Palestinians are feeling the pinch. Wheat storage in Palestine could be depleted in as little as three weeks, Oxfam says. The war has cut into food exports by both Ukraine and Russia, two of the world's biggest exporters of wheat, and most families in the Gaza Strip are now eating less and purchasing food on credit. "Every day we meet people who are searching for jobs and money just to feed their children," said Najla Shawa, Oxfam's head of food security in Gaza. "We feel very stuck at this stage." The global hunger crisis is poised to hit a new crescendo, according to an Oxfam report. Those suffering the most will be in countries that rely on imported grain from the war zone, including Yemen, which imports 22% of its grain from Ukraine; Lebanon, which gets 50%; and Tunisia, which sources 42% of its