WFP to cut Gaza food aid for hundreds of thousands as funding falls

The World Food Programme will reduce the number of people it assists in Gaza from 1.6 million to 1.1 million because of funding shortages. The planned cuts, reported by the BBC, mean hundreds of thousands of people will receive less food aid in the months ahead.

Daily hot meals served through community kitchens will fall from 250,000 to 150,000. The kitchens prepare cooked food in neighbourhoods and shelters and have become a central source of meals for families with no way to cook for themselves.

Distributions of flour bags and ration boxes will also shrink. They will reach 600,000 people each month, down from 1.1 million. In hard-to-reach areas, such as near the Yellow Line, families will receive a meal every other day instead of daily.

The agency said funding for its Palestinian operations in 2026 was less than half the level of previous years. It says it urgently needs $450 million to keep critical operations running over the next six months.

Cash assistance has already been reduced. Since July, the programme has cut back cash transfers provided to about 500,000 people in Gaza. Such transfers allow families to buy food where markets are functioning.

The cuts were foreshadowed in July, when the agency warned of deeper reductions to Gaza aid because of donor fatigue, according to Reuters.

The need remains widespread. Nearly all of Gaza's population of 2.1 million remains displaced, with many living in tents and temporary shelters. More than 80% of people are unemployed, leaving most households with little income to buy food on their own.