World Food Programme cuts Gaza aid due to funding shortages

The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a drastic reduction in food assistance for the Gaza Strip due to severe funding shortages. The agency reported that the number of people receiving aid will drop from 1.6 million to approximately 1.1 million, leaving half a million people without critical support as winter approaches.

Key reductions include the number of daily hot meals provided by community kitchens, which will fall from 250,000 to 150,000. Families in hard-to-reach areas, including those near the Israeli military-controlled “yellow line,” will receive meals every second day instead of daily. Additionally, food parcels will be halved, and the amount of wheat flour provided will be reduced.

The WFP noted that approximately 1.4 million people in Gaza—67 percent of the population—are facing crisis-level food insecurity or worse. The agency also reported that aid in the occupied West Bank will be halved, from 400,000 to 200,000 people. To sustain critical operations across Gaza and the West Bank for the next six months, the WFP stated it urgently requires $450 million.