World Food Programme cuts Gaza aid by one-third due to funding

The World Food Programme announced on Monday that severe funding shortages have forced it to drastically reduce lifesaving food assistance in the Gaza Strip. The United Nations agency stated it must cut the number of people receiving monthly aid from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, leaving approximately half a million vulnerable Palestinians without critical support as winter approaches.

Under the new restrictions, families who previously received two food parcels per month will now receive only one, along with smaller bags of wheat flour. The agency also reduced the number of daily hot meals provided through community kitchens from 250,000 to 150,000. Families living in hard-to-reach areas near the Israeli military-controlled yellow line will receive a meal every other day instead of daily.

WFP Palestine Director Shaun Hughes clarified that these reductions are driven strictly by financial constraints rather than a decrease in humanitarian needs or access issues. The agency reported receiving less than half the funding for its Palestinian operations in 2026 compared to previous years. It urgently requires $450 million to sustain critical operations across Gaza and the occupied West Bank over the next six months.

Despite a ceasefire agreed upon a year ago, more than 80 percent of Gaza’s population remains unemployed and unable to afford market goods. An estimated 1.4 million people currently face crisis-level food insecurity. In the West Bank, the WFP has already halved its assistance recipients from 400,000 to 200,000 due to similar funding shortfalls and rising displacement.