World Food Programme cuts aid for 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza amid funding shortfall

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced it will stop providing monthly food aid to approximately 500,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip due to a funding shortfall, France 24 reported. This reduction lowers the number of people receiving WFP assistance from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, still about half of Gaza's population.

According to The Guardian, two-thirds of Gaza's population face crisis levels of food insecurity, with around 200,000 people at risk of famine. The WFP's director for Palestine highlighted that these aid cuts come as reconstruction efforts promised after a ceasefire over a year ago have yet to begin, and employment opportunities remain scarce.

The WFP country director, Shaun Hughes, told AFP that the agency is forced to cut assistance despite ongoing acute needs in the territory. The aid reduction is expected to deepen hunger during the upcoming winter months, exacerbating the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Both sources emphasize that the majority of Gaza's population continues to rely heavily on humanitarian aid for food, underscoring the critical impact of the funding gap on vulnerable communities in the region.