UN Food Programme Cuts Aid to 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has cut monthly food assistance to 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza, citing funding shortages that threaten to reverse recent improvements in food security.

According to the WFP, food rations have been halved, meaning families will receive one food parcel instead of two, along with a smaller bag of wheat flour. Daily hot meals will also be reduced from 250,000 to 150,000, while the value of cash assistance provided to 75,000 families has been cut.

Since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, the WFP has reached about 1.6 million people monthly with food parcels, nutrition support, and cash assistance. The agency said its food assistance has provided a “lifeline for up to 90% of families” in Gaza over the past three years.

Approximately 1.4 million people, or 67% of Gaza’s population, are experiencing crisis-level food insecurity or worse, according to the WFP. Around 200,000 people remain in emergency conditions, while more than 80% of the population is unemployed, limiting families’ ability to afford food.

The WFP says funding for its Palestine operations in 2026 is less than half the amount received in previous years. It reportedly needs US$450 million to maintain critical operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank from October through March 2027.