CHAPTER 3
West Bank and Gaza: Links among Income, Jobs, and Food Pablo Suárez Becerra, Eduardo A. Malásquez, and Jawad Al-Saleh
Key Messages • COVID-19 affected not only the poorest Palestinian households but also those that were relatively better-off prior to the start of the pandemic, with almost 20 percent of previously employed main income earners losing their jobs from early March to late May in 2020. •• Income fell in at least 60 percent of Palestinian households across all expenditure quintiles, and 40 percent reported that their income fell by 50 percent or more. •• The pandemic has revealed how vulnerable Palestinian households are to food insecurity, even the better-off households in the West Bank, where food insecurity was low prior to COVID-19. •• Households hardest hit by higher food insecurity were those where incomes declined and the main income earner either lost their job or was unable to keep working because of restrictions. • Access to education was limited for households of all welfare levels in the West Bank and in Gaza, but poorer households faced bigger difficulties, largely because of the lack of internet.
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