Gaza funding shortfall leaves 500,000 people outside WFP support
· BehindLines newsroom
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday, 19 October, that funding shortages were forcing it to reduce assistance in Gaza by roughly a third. Monthly coverage is falling from 1.6 million people to 1.1 million, leaving half a million residents without that support as winter approaches.
Fewer meals and food parcels
The BBC reports that community kitchens will provide 150,000 hot meals a day, down from 250,000. For families in areas that are difficult to reach, meals will be provided on alternate days instead of daily. These areas include places near the Yellow Line, which marks territory controlled by Israel's military.
The number receiving flour and ration boxes each month is being cut from 1.1 million to 600,000. Families previously receiving two boxes will get one. Cash transfers intended to help people purchase food in local markets had already been reduced since July.
Funding less than half its earlier level
The agency received less than half its usual funding for Palestinian operations in 2026. For the coming six months, it puts the cost of maintaining essential operations across Gaza and the West Bank at $450 million. Its Palestine director, Shaun Hughes, attributes the cuts to the budget, rather than reduced needs or an inability to reach people. The Guardian places the shortfall in the wider context of the dismantling of USAID and cuts by other donors.
Fragile gains
A year after the ceasefire, the famine declared in summer 2025 has receded, but reconstruction has not begun. UN figures cited by the British outlets put unemployment above 80%, leaving most residents dependent on aid.
An IPC projection published in July estimated that 1.4 million people would face acute food insecurity classified at crisis level or higher during July–December 2026. DW separately reports that 200,000 people are living in emergency conditions. These different severity levels should not be confused with a declaration of famine.
Israel's territorial affairs agency COGAT disputes the assessment and says the volume of aid entering Gaza exceeds food demand.