World Food Programme cuts Gaza food aid for a second day as funding shortfall deepens

The World Food Programme has confirmed it is ending monthly assistance for about 500,000 people in Gaza because of a funding shortfall. The agency said the reduction lowers the number of people receiving food or cash support from 1.6 million to 1.1 million. The cut affects a territory where the agency says needs remain acute and two thirds of the population is still food insecure.

Shaun Hughes, the WFP country director, said the agency is now cutting half a million people from the number it assists. The latest figures mean the organisation will still reach roughly half of Gaza's population each month, but with a smaller caseload than before. The agency said the change is being driven by finances rather than access constraints.

The decision matters because the WFP has been one of the main humanitarian food providers in Gaza. The agency said it has been the largest single supplier of food assistance in the strip, and that many families remain dependent on soup kitchens, food parcels and cash transfers. It also said the reductions come as winter approaches, when conditions for displaced families can become more difficult.

The cuts also underline the scale of the funding gap facing humanitarian operations in Gaza. The WFP said it has received less than half as much funding for its Palestinian operations in 2026 as in previous periods. That shortfall is forcing the agency to prioritise the most vulnerable households while reducing overall coverage.

The latest announcement builds on earlier reductions already affecting food parcels, hot meals and cash assistance. The agency had previously said it was lowering the number of hot meals and reducing rations for families, while also cutting cash support for thousands of households. Those changes were presented as part of a wider effort to stretch limited resources across a population still facing severe food insecurity.

What remains unclear is whether new funding will arrive soon enough to reverse the cuts or whether further reductions will follow. The agency has not said how long the lower caseload can be sustained. The next developments to watch are donor responses, the impact on the most vulnerable families, and whether food access worsens further as winter advances.

The World Food Programme says it will sharply reduce food assistance in Gaza because of funding shortages, cutting support for hundreds of thousands of people as winter approaches. The agency said the changes will affect one of the main humanitarian food pipelines into the territory, where many families remain dependent on aid. The reductions come at a time when the population is still struggling to secure enough food after months of displacement and disruption.

According to the agency, the number of people receiving help will fall by about a third, from 1.6 million to 1.1 million. It said about 500,000 people will lose access to food assistance under the new plan. The cuts include a reduction in hot meals from 250,000 to 150,000 a day, and families in hard-to-reach areas near the Yellow Line will receive meals every other day rather than daily.

The agency also said rations are being reduced. Families that previously received two food parcels will now receive one, while flour bags will be smaller and food parcels will be cut by 40%. Cash assistance for 75,000 families will also be reduced by 40%, after earlier cuts to cash transfers affecting about half a million people since July.

The agency said the changes are driven by finances rather than access constraints. The decision matters because Gaza remains heavily reliant on humanitarian food support. The World Food Programme said it has been the largest single supplier of food assistance in the strip, reaching about 1.6 million people each month since the October 2025 ceasefire with Israel.

The latest cuts come as nearly all of Gaza's 2.1 million people remain displaced and two-thirds rely on food aid to survive, according to the agency. The reductions also highlight the scale of the funding gap facing humanitarian operations in Gaza. The agency said it received less than half as much funding for its Palestinian operations in 2026 as in previous periods.

That shortfall is forcing it to prioritise the most vulnerable households while scaling back the overall caseload. The agency's Palestine director said the cuts were not because needs were falling or because access had improved, but because the money was not available. The timing is significant because winter is approaching, when food insecurity can become more acute for families living in temporary shelters and camps.

The agency warned that cutting assistance to half a million people could have consequences for hunger and stability. It also said community kitchens in harder-to-reach areas are already under pressure, with fewer meals available and smaller portions than before. The cuts come against a wider backdrop of prolonged humanitarian dependence in Gaza after the ceasefire.

The agency said many families are still relying on soup kitchens, food parcels and electronic cash transfers because local markets remain difficult to use and cash is scarce. People interviewed in the territory described the reductions as severe, saying the aid they had been receiving was already insufficient before the latest announcement. What remains unclear is whether additional funding will arrive soon enough to reverse the reductions or whether further cuts will follow.

The agency has not said how long the lower caseload can be sustained, and it is not clear how many families may lose support beyond the initial 500,000 figure. The next developments to watch are whether donors step in, whether the agency can protect the most vulnerable households, and how the cuts affect food access as winter advances.

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