UN agency slashes Gaza food aid over funding, warns needs persist

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Monday that it will discontinue monthly aid to 500,000 individuals in Gaza due to a severe funding shortfall, despite the ongoing dire needs in the conflict-torn Palestinian territory. As a result of this reduction, 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza — comprising roughly half of the population — will continue to receive either food or cash assistance, albeit in reduced quantities.

The WFP has previously played a crucial role in mitigating the impact of a famine that struck Gaza last year, but it warns that the current conditions have not improved sufficiently to resume full aid provision. Shaun Hughes, the WFP country director, emphasized during a conversation with AFP at the agency's office in east Jerusalem that Gaza remains unsafe, with daily airstrikes and a continuous displacement crisis.

Over two-thirds of Gaza's population, amounting to 1.4 million people, are still considered "acutely food insecure" and require humanitarian aid to survive. In August of the previous year, the UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification classified Gaza as suffering famine conditions, which were eventually lifted in December following a US-brokered ceasefire.

However, Israel has maintained its military presence in Gaza since then, vowing to target anyone involved in the October 7 attack. Since the ceasefire, the WFP has been able to increase its assistance efforts, reaching between 1.5 million and 1.8 million individuals each month. Yet, this lifeline is now being reduced due to a lack of funding.

The WFP is now delivering smaller food parcels and reduced cash assistance. For families receiving food aid, the portion has been reduced from two to one parcel, and the wheat flour bag has been decreased. Similarly, cash recipients will now receive 750 shekels ($240) per month, down from 1,250 shekels ($400). The WFP's funding challenges have been exacerbated by the shift in U.S. contributions under President Donald Trump, which significantly cut back on aid to UN agencies and bilateral assistance.

The agency estimates it needs $450 million over the next six months for its operations in Gaza and the West Bank but has only received about half of the usual financing for the Palestinian territories in 2026. In September, the WFP also reduced the number of aid recipients in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967, from 400,000 to 200,000.

Shaun Hughes stressed that this is a critical moment in Palestine and Gaza's history not to abandon the situation. Despite Israel's recent relaxation of some restrictions on goods entering Gaza under the terms of the Trump ceasefire, the territory continues to face heavy restrictions, with shipments deemed potentially military in nature — including prosthetic limbs — being denied entry by the UN.

Israel has intensified its criticism of the United Nations since the Gaza war, accusing the agency of bias and perpetuating dependency among Palestinians.