The World Food Programme announced major cuts to its Gaza response on Monday due to a funding shortage. The decision leaves about 500,000 people without vital support as much of the population of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory struggles to get enough to eat.
The United Nations agency said it received less than half as much funding for its Palestine operation in 2026 as in previous years. It urgently needs another $450 million to maintain essential operations in the occupied Palestinian territory over the next six months.
The agency will reduce the number of people receiving monthly assistance in Gaza from 1.6 million to 1.1 million. Rations will be cut from two food parcels per family down to one, and bags of flour will also be smaller.
Hot meals provided daily will drop from 250,000 to 150,000. Families living in hard-to-reach areas, including near the so-called yellow line demarcating Israeli military control, will receive a hot meal every other day instead of daily.
More than three years of Israel’s war on Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel have brought the collapse of education, healthcare, and the economy. Access to food, water, shelter, and other basic necessities has become a daily struggle for the population.
More than 74,245 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
United Nations estimates show more than 80 percent of people are unemployed and unable to afford fresh or protein-rich foods when they are available. Only one in five children consumes a sufficiently diverse diet while access to health services is limited.
An estimated 1.4 million people, or 67 percent of Gaza’s population, are experiencing acute food insecurity at crisis levels or worse. This figure is down from 1.6 million people, or 77 percent of the population, at the end of 2025. The agency said the improvement is modest and fragile.
Funding shortfalls had already affected operations in the occupied West Bank. In that territory, the number of people receiving assistance was halved in September, dropping from 400,000 to 200,000.
