Families are Trying to Find Somewhere Safe from these Attacks

“We are losing so many families in our village. The number of empty and abandoned homes is growing day by day, and people are leaving…families are trying to find somewhere safe from these attacks.”

– Father Bashar Fawadleh, leader of a Christian church in the village of Taybeh, speaking with Anera about the impact of settler violence and closures of essential services on his community.

Across the West Bank tensions are rapidly rising and uncertainty is deepening. Anera’s team in the West Bank is seeing a notable rise in direct requests for assistance from communities impacted by settler violence and military actions. Families across numerous communities have been besieged in their homes, losing family members, freedom of movement and eventually their land. Our team is repeatedly witnessing a sequence which matches reports by the United Nations, human rights monitors and international press: settler violence; cutting off water, electricity and supplies to homes and communities; and forced displacement followed by permanent land seizure. On August 11, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator told the Security Council that “the West Bank is at the breaking point.”

Erin, Anera has been working since 1968 to respond directly to the needs of families facing violence and displacement in the West Bank. While our staff continues to work on holistic programming to increase long-term resilience in these communities, we are also scaling-up our emergency response to meet the immediate needs we are witnessing. In one single moment, families are losing everything they’ve built over decades and even generations. Your support right now is critical to help provide water, meals, medicines and other essential items to families who have lost access to their homes and livelihoods.

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The frequency of injuries directly caused by settlers has increased sharply, from an average of one Palestinian injured every three days in 2020, to two per day in 2025 and more than three per day so far in 2026. Since the beginning of the year, 79 Palestinians, including 19 children, have been killed and about 1,870 injured by military forces or settlers in the West Bank.

This increased violence, intimidation and displacement prevents individuals from reaching markets, jobs and their farm and grazing land. The impact on food security and hunger is clear. On September 1, the UN World Food Programme reported that 76% of households have experienced a significant decline in income and one-third cannot afford a nutritious diet. Food assistance needs have more than doubled since 2023 and 900,000 people are food insecure in the West Bank.

It is vital that communities can remain on their land safely and with dignity. To achieve this we must improve access to essential services, protect livelihoods and enhance community resilience in the face of ongoing pressure. Your support can help us increase delivery of water access, provide emergency food parcels and hot meals for displaced families, distribute clothing and household items for families who have lost access to their homes, and support mobile and emergency health services in isolated and high-risk areas.

Here’s how you can make an immediate impact:

• $10 can provide one hot meal with protein and rice
• $25 can deliver emergency water to a household
• $50 can support mobile health services for one patient
• $100 can provide a fresh produce basket for a family
• $250 can provide a family who has been displaced or had their home damaged with a kit of essential items such as bedding, kitchen supplies and hygiene items

Anera is also providing support directly to individuals whose livelihoods have been impacted by settler violence, enabling them to continue to provide for their families and remain in their communities.

Mohammad Mustafa is a farmer living in the West Bank town of Lubban ash-Sharkiya. “I have land that we used to farm and cultivate. It had 35 olive trees, and we used to grow things there,” explained Mohammad. “We had to stop farming it, though, because settlers took over the land. Now, we are completely forbidden from going there. The only place we can access is the very small garden in front of our house.”

Anera provided Mohammad with the resources to start a rooftop garden. With his farmland no longer accessible, this small garden has given him a way to continue cultivating and producing food close to home.

Rani Balawneh is an experienced butcher from the Tulkarem Refugee Camp, West Bank. He ran a popular butcher shop within the camp.To diversify his income, he added a grilled meat kiosk at the shop’s entrance, selling prepared meals alongside fresh cuts. However, recent military activity involving the dredging of the main road led to the destruction of his kiosk.

“I had a shop inside the camp, a butcher shop that provided for my family and my relatives. But the military escalation destroyed my shop and everything in it. My family and I were displaced from the camp, and I have been trying to find any way I can to reopen it and provide for my family and children,” he said.

Anera provided Rani with support to rebuild the kiosk, acquire necessary equipment and restore the financial stability of his seven-member household. “I’m grateful to Anera for helping me rebuild my livelihood and support my family again.”

Erin, your support can help even more individuals like Rani face the growing pressures in the West Bank. A gift today will allow us to meet immediate needs like food and water for families impacted by violence and provide resources so they can remain in their communities.

Mahmoud Abu Alwafa lives and raises livestock with his family in Zawiya Village, Jenin. “We used to take our sheep out to graze in the plains and the Jordan Valley. But we no longer dare to go there because of the settlers’ attacks. They surround our sheep, take them away and make it impossible for us to graze them safely.” The sheep are the family’s only source of income. The fear weighed heavily on Mahmoud’s mind. “We were afraid that our sheep would be confiscated and taken from us,” Mahmoud explains. He had decided to sell his flock to avoid being left with nothing.

But then, Mahmoud received funds to build a small shelter for the sheep directly next to his home. Mahmoud is now able to secure the sheep safely and protect them from theft.

Families in the West Bank face the threat of violence and losing everything they have built at any moment. We can stand with them by responding directly to their urgent needs and by providing resources to build resilience and security in the midst of increasing pressure and risk. Can we count on your support today?

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