World Food Programme slashes Gaza food aid due to funding shortages

The World Food Programme is drastically reducing its lifesaving food assistance to the Gaza Strip because of severe funding shortages, BBC News and ABC News Australia reported. The United Nations agency announced that the number of people it assists in the Palestinian territory will drop by approximately 500,000, falling from 1.6 million people to 1.1 million. [1][2][5][6]

ABC News Australia reported that the World Food Programme is the largest single supplier of humanitarian food assistance in the Gaza Strip. According to the network, the agency had been reaching about 1.6 million people every month following the October 2025 ceasefire with Israel. The upcoming cost-cutting measures will specifically affect roughly 500,000 people who are categorised by the agency as vulnerable. [2]

BBC News reported that the reductions are taking effect as winter approaches, a period when many families across Gaza are already struggling to feed themselves. The news outlet added that the cuts will also diminish the number of hot meals currently being distributed in the territory. [1]

The World Food Programme was founded in 1961 as an international organization within the United Nations and maintains its headquarters in Rome. It operates as the largest humanitarian organization in the world, providing food assistance globally. [8]