WFP funding cuts to leave 500,000 fewer people aided in Gaza

The World Food Programme says a funding shortfall will force it to reduce the number of people receiving its assistance in Gaza from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, cutting support as winter approaches. BBC News reported on 19 October that the UN agency’s reductions will affect cooked meals, food parcels and other assistance in a territory where families remain heavily dependent on aid.

Shaun Hughes, the WFP’s Palestine director, attributed the decision to a lack of money rather than reduced humanitarian needs or an inability to reach recipients. The agency says it received less than half as much funding for its Palestinian operations in 2026 as in previous years and urgently needs $450 million to sustain critical operations over the next six months.

Fewer meals and smaller food distributions

Community kitchens will reduce their daily provision of hot meals from 250,000 to 150,000. Families in difficult-to-reach locations, including areas near the Yellow Line marking the extent of Israeli military control, will receive meals on alternate days rather than every day.

Monthly distributions of flour and ration boxes will reach 600,000 people instead of 1.1 million. These changes follow reductions since July in cash transfers supporting about half a million people, leaving recipients with less purchasing power in local food markets.

In al-Mawasi, in the Khan Younis area, displaced mother-of-five Mervat al-Satari described the cuts as a disaster for families who sometimes depend on the kitchen meals to eat. Sawsan Bahloul, a mother of three in the same area, said existing portions were already inadequate. Meals typically consist of pasta or lentils, with potatoes and aubergines sometimes included.

Food in markets, but little money to buy it

Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents remain displaced, and two-thirds depend on food assistance to survive. Despite the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas a year earlier, the report describes an absence of reconstruction and only limited recovery, with Israel maintaining tight controls on goods entering through crossings.

Markets now have substantial food supplies, but affordability remains a major obstacle. Reported unemployment exceeds 80%, leaving most residents reliant on assistance rather than earnings.

Dalal al-Dahdouh, living with her family of eight in the remains of their Gaza City home, said flour and food boxes were already insufficient. She described a household that had once had its own land and access to fresh vegetables but now depended entirely on assistance, including WFP vouchers.

Cooking is another constraint. According to the report, cooking gas is unavailable because the Israeli government classifies it as a dual-use item that Hamas could exploit for military purposes. With wood costly, some families send children to collect discarded plastic and cardboard to burn for baking bread or warming meals.

Hunger risk persists as some programmes continue

A July assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, projected that 1.4 million people—roughly two-thirds of Gaza’s population—would face crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity during July–December 2026. That figure is a projection for the period, not a newly measured October total. Humanitarian workers warn that severe food insecurity and the danger of famine returning persist despite some improvement over the previous year.

For now, the WFP says it can maintain support for bakeries supplying one-third of Gaza’s bread needs. Nutritional assistance for about 300,000 women and children will also continue, alongside nutritious snacks for approximately 200,000 children.

The funding pressure extends to the occupied West Bank, where the agency continues to assist about 200,000 Palestinians after halving its recipient numbers in September. The WFP attributes rising food insecurity there largely to increased Israeli settler violence and the displacement of Palestinians.