UN food agency slashes Gaza aid by a third

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has reduced its food aid to Palestinian residents of Gaza by roughly one-third, owing to insufficient funding, the agency announced on Monday. This reduction will leave approximately 500,000 individuals in the war-torn region without any assistance.

Prior to this cut, the WFP had been supplying food parcels, bread, and cash to around 1.6 million Palestinians each month since the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. However, the organization now has insufficient funds to maintain this level of support, according to the WFP. From October onward, the agency will be providing aid to 1.1 million people, as per the statement.

Carl Skau, Deputy Director of the WFP, informed the BBC that the UN requires $450 million for the next six months to continue its aid efforts in Gaza and the West Bank. He emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "We have to make sure we can help bring back normalcy and dignity to people's lives. Efforts need to be stepped up - it's not acceptable that people are suffering the way they are."

The UN reported that many Palestinians continue to reside in precarious, makeshift shelters or in the ruins of their homes, surrounded by sewage and garbage. Economic prospects are limited, with few job opportunities and restricted means of earning a living. The region remains volatile, with UN teams recording around 50 attacks per day last week alone. Despite this, the WFP still provides aid to 67% of the population, who are grappling with acute hunger or a worse condition.