Agency says it needs $450m more to keep operations running for six months
The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced major cuts to its Gaza response because of a funding shortage, leaving about 500,000 people without critical support.
In a statement on Monday, the UN agency said its 2026 funding for the Palestine operation was less than half of previous years. It needs a further $450 million to sustain critical operations in the occupied Palestinian territory over the next six months.
The number of people receiving monthly assistance in Gaza will fall from 1.6 million to 1.1 million. Families will get one food parcel instead of two, and flour bags will be smaller.
Hot meals will drop from 250,000 to 150,000 a day. Families in hard-to-reach areas, including near the “yellow line” marking Israeli military control, will get a hot meal every other day instead of daily.
More than three years after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack and Israel’s war on Gaza, education, healthcare and the economy have collapsed. Gaza’s health ministry says more than 74,245 Palestinians have been killed.
UN estimates show over 80 percent of people are unemployed and cannot afford fresh or protein-rich food. Only one in five children eats a sufficiently diverse diet, and health services remain limited.
