In short
- The World Food Programme says the number of people it assists in Gaza will fall from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, a reduction of about one-third, because of funding shortages.
- Community kitchens in Gaza will serve 150,000 hot meals a day, down from 250,000, and families in hard-to-reach areas will receive a meal every other day instead of daily.
- Monthly WFP distributions of flour bags and ration boxes in Gaza will fall from 1.1 million to 600,000.
- The WFP says it needs $450m (£338m) to maintain critical operations over the next six months and received less than half as much funding for its Palestinian operations in 2026 as in previous years.
- Two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents rely on food aid to survive, and more than 80% of people in the territory are unemployed.
The World Food Programme said on 19 October 2026 that funding shortages had forced it to “drastically reduce lifesaving assistance” in the Gaza Strip, cutting the number of people it supports from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, about a third fewer, as winter approaches.
How many people in Gaza will lose WFP support?
The UN agency’s caseload in Gaza will fall by roughly one-third, from 1.6 million people to 1.1 million. Hot meals served by community kitchens will drop from 250,000 to 150,000 a day. Families in hard-to-reach areas, including those near the so-called Yellow Line that marks Israel’s area of military control, will receive a meal every other day rather than daily. Monthly distributions of flour bags and ration boxes will fall from 1.1 million to 600,000.
Why is the World Food Programme cutting assistance?
Shaun Hughes, the WFP’s Palestine director, said the reductions were driven by finances and “not because the needs are coming down, or because we don’t have access – we do.” The agency received less than half as much funding for its Palestinian operations in 2026 as in previous years, and says it urgently needs $450m (£338m) to maintain “critical” operations over the next six months. Cash transfers to about half a million people were already reduced from July.
What do families in Gaza say about the cuts?
Mervat al-Satari, a displaced Palestinian mother of five at a camp in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, said: “It’s a disaster! What will we do with these reduced rations? How will we provide for the little ones?” She added: “Sometimes we wait for these meals to eat.” Sawsan Bahloul, a mother of three from al-Mawasi, said the daily meal “was somehow ticking the box but now it will be every two days”, and that portions of pasta or lentils were already too small for her family. Dalal al-Dahdouh, living in the ruins of her home in Gaza City with a family of eight, said: “The flour isn’t enough and the food boxes aren’t enough either.”
What conditions are driving hunger in Gaza?
Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents remain displaced and two-thirds depend on food aid to survive. More than 80% of people are unemployed, so few can afford goods from markets that are now well stocked. Israel tightly controls the entry of goods through crossings and there has been no reconstruction. Cooking gas is unavailable because the Israeli government considers it a “dual use” item that could be used by Hamas for military purposes, and wood is expensive, so many families send children to gather plastic and cardboard as fuel. A ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was agreed a year ago, but Israeli strikes have continued almost daily.
How severe is food insecurity in Gaza?
In July, the Integrated Phase Classification, which assesses global food security, reported that 1.4 million people in Gaza, two-thirds of the population, were “expected to face crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity in July-December 2026”. Humanitarian workers say acute food insecurity and the risk of famine returning continue to threaten the territory.
Which WFP operations will continue?
The WFP says it can keep supporting bakeries that supply one-third of Gaza’s bread, nutritional assistance to about 300,000 women and children, and food snacks to some 200,000 children. In the occupied West Bank, the agency is assisting about 200,000 Palestinians after halving the number of recipients in September. It says food insecurity there is rising mostly because of increased Israeli settler violence and Palestinian displacement, an issue that has also drawn condemnation from Belgium after a settler attack on European envoys.
Frequently asked questions
How many people in Gaza will the World Food Programme stop assisting?
The WFP says the number of people it helps in Gaza will fall from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, a reduction of about one-third, because of funding shortages.
Why is the WFP cutting food aid to Gaza?
The agency says its Palestinian operations received less than half as much funding in 2026 as in previous years, and it needs $450m (£338m) to sustain critical operations for the next six months.
How many hot meals will community kitchens provide in Gaza?
Community kitchens will serve 150,000 hot meals a day, down from 250,000, and families in hard-to-reach areas will receive a meal every other day instead of daily.
Does the WFP still provide any support in Gaza?
The WFP says it can continue supporting bakeries that supply one-third of Gaza’s bread and provide nutritional assistance to about 300,000 women and children, as well as food snacks to some 200,000 children.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)