WFP ends food support for more than 500,000 people in Gaza as funding falls
The World Food Programme has ended monthly food support for more than 500,000 people in Gaza following funding cuts.
Coverage fell from about 1.6 million people in summer 2026, about three-quarters of Gaza's population, to 1.1 million people a month from October 2026, according to the agency's latest figures The Guardian.
Funding for WFP work in Gaza has fallen by more than half from 2025 levels. The agency says it needs more than £300m over the next six months to restore and maintain critical programmes in Palestine.
The cuts affect ration boxes, cash stipends to buy food, and hot meals served at community kitchens. In October 2026, hot meals from those kitchens were being delivered only every other day.
The reduction comes after a famine declared in Gaza in summer 2025 was ended after a year of large aid shipments. That progress is now under strain. Two-thirds of Gaza's population face crisis levels of food insecurity, IPC phase three, while 200,000 people face emergency levels, IPC phase four, one step away from famine.
A recent UNICEF survey found one in eight children in Gaza are chronically malnourished or stunted. About 80% of Gaza's population is unemployed, according to UN data, leaving many families with little means to replace lost assistance.
