The scourge of food insecurity currently affects more than 1 million children in Israel, a new study released by a welfare NGO reported this week.
The figures, released by the Latet organization, which provides various welfare and food aid services, represent one-third of all children in the country, with an additional 1.3 million adults suffering from hunger.
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All in all, 2.3 million Israelis live in poverty, with 29.4% reporting weight loss due to an inability to afford food. At least 12% admitted to rummaging through garbage bins for meals.
Just over a quarter of Israelis (27.9%) counted in the study said that their children routinely go to school without lunch, marking a 16-point increase from last year.
The figures presented by Latet are gathered through interviews and public information.
The last time the government published statistics on poverty in Israel was in 2016. The numbers released that year indicated that some 1.8 million citizens, including 842,300 children, were living in poverty.
Among the 35 member nations of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), Israel is ranked as having the highest level of poverty.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
