Key Takeaways
- The World Food Programme will reduce food assistance to 500,000 people in Gaza.
- 1.1 million Palestinians will continue to receive reduced aid.
- Funding shortfall threatens humanitarian efforts in war-torn territory.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced it will cut monthly food aid to 500,000 people in Gaza due to a funding shortfall, despite ongoing humanitarian needs in the territory.
With the reduction, 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza, which is still about half the population, will receive either food or cash assistance each month, but in reduced amounts.
Shaun Hughes, the WFP country director, stated that the agency's efforts had mitigated the effects of a famine last year in Gaza, but conditions have not improved to the point where aid can be fully withdrawn.
Hughes warned that people in Gaza are not safe, with daily airstrikes continuing and many still without permanent homes, making the humanitarian situation brutal.
According to the latest assessments, 1.4 million people, or two-thirds of Gaza’s population, are still acutely food insecure and need humanitarian assistance to survive.
The WFP has had to reduce the content of food assistance, with families receiving only one food parcel instead of two and a smaller bag of wheat flour. Cash assistance for 75,000 families will be reduced from 1,250 to 750 shekels ($400 to $240) per month.
The agency is funded by governments and private donors, but has seen a sharp drop in resources, including after President Donald Trump returned to power and drastically slashed contributions to UN agencies and bilateral aid.
The WFP needs about $450 million over the next six months for its operations in Gaza and the West Bank, but in 2026, it has only received about half the usual financing for the Palestinian territories.
In September, the agency also reduced the number of aid recipients in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, from 400,000 to 200,000.
Hughes emphasized that now is not the time to turn away from the situation in Gaza, stating, “Now is not the time in the history of Palestine and Gaza to turn away from what is happening in Gaza.”
People are not safe. Airstrikes continue on a daily basis. People continue to be displaced.
Shaun Hughes, WFP country director
Now is not the time in the history of Palestine and Gaza to turn away from what is happening in Gaza.
Shaun Hughes, WFP country director
