WFP cuts food aid to half a million people in Gaza as funding runs short before winter

Key takeaways

• The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says funding shortages have forced it to cut its food assistance in Gaza by about one-third.
• From this month it is helping 1.1 million people, down from 1.6 million last month, so about 500,000 people lose critical aid.
• Food parcels are halved, hot meals fall from 250,000 to 150,000 a day, and cash help is reduced for 75,000 families.
• About 1.4 million people (67%) in Gaza still face acute food insecurity, and around 200,000 are in emergency conditions.
• WFP says it needs $450 million to keep its Gaza and West Bank operations going from October 2026 to March 2027.

What WFP announced

In a statement on Monday, WFP said it no longer has enough money to keep reaching around 1.6 million people a month, the level it has maintained since the ceasefire announced in October 2025.

"As of this month, we're now cutting half a million people from the number of people that we're assisting," WFP country director Shaun Hughes told AFP, as reported by France 24.

What changes for families

WFP says it can still, for now, support bakeries that cover about one-third of Gaza's bread needs, give nutrition help to 300,000 women and children, and provide school snacks to 200,000 children.

The cuts also reach the West Bank, where WFP halved the number of people it helps, from 400,000 to 200,000, in September.

How bad is hunger in Gaza now?

WFP's figures show some improvement since the end of 2025, when 1.6 million people (77%) faced crisis-level hunger or worse. The number has fallen to 1.4 million (67%), but the agency calls the gains "modest and fragile".

It also says:

• About 200,000 people are in Emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4), where food help is needed to prevent deaths from hunger.
• Only one in five children eats a diverse enough diet.
• More than 80% of people in Gaza are unemployed, so many cannot buy fresh food or protein even when it is in markets.

Why the money ran out

WFP says it received less than half as much funding for its Palestine operation in 2026 as in earlier years. It warns that the latest IPC analysis shows cuts in aid could quickly push food needs up again, especially as winter arrives.

What to watch

• Whether donors respond to WFP's $450 million appeal before winter sets in.
• Any further cuts to bakery support, nutrition programmes or school snacks if funding does not arrive.
• The next IPC food security update for Gaza, which will show whether the recent improvement holds.