World Food Programme Cuts Gaza Aid by a Third Due to Funding Shortfall

The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a reduction in its food and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by approximately one-third, citing a lack of funding. This cutback has decreased the number of beneficiaries from 1.6 million people in September to 1.1 million in October. The WFP warned of deteriorating food security conditions as winter approaches.

The reductions encompass decreased food rations, cash assistance, and hot meals. Currently, around 1.4 million people, or 67% of Gaza's population, face acute food insecurity, according to WFP data based on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). Beneficiary families are now receiving one food parcel instead of two, along with smaller quantities of wheat flour. The value of cash assistance provided to 75,000 families has also been reduced.

For the past three years, WFP aid has been a lifeline for up to 90% of families in Gaza. Since a ceasefire agreement took effect in October 2025, the WFP had been reaching approximately 1.6 million people monthly with food parcels, wheat flour, bread, hot meals, nutritional support, and cash assistance. Despite operational cuts, the WFP continues to support bakeries that provide about one-third of the Strip's bread needs and offers nutritional support to around 300,000 women and children, along with school snacks for about 200,000 children.

The WFP cautioned that the relative improvement in aid access since the ceasefire is fragile and that continued funding shortages could lead to a rapid decline in food security. Approximately 200,000 people are facing emergency food conditions (IPC Phase 4), and only one in five children receives a sufficiently diverse diet. The dire economic situation, with unemployment exceeding 80% in Gaza, further exacerbates the crisis by limiting families' ability to purchase fresh produce and protein-rich foods.

The WFP revealed it received less than half the funding for its operations in the Palestinian territories in 2026 compared to previous years. It urgently requires $450 million to sustain its operations in Gaza and the West Bank from October 2026 to March 2027. The approaching winter season increases the need for resources for emergency food aid, humanitarian operations, and malnutrition prevention, particularly for young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Carl Skau, the WFP's Acting Executive Director, warned that humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain severe, even a year after the ceasefire. Speaking from Gaza, he described life as extremely harsh, with a lack of adequate housing, basic services, and security. He noted that the aid cuts come as preparations are made for the fourth winter, which has been particularly difficult in previous years. The WFP fears that the ongoing financial deficit, reduced aid, difficult living conditions, and the onset of winter could undermine the limited improvements in food security and increase the risks for the most vulnerable families.