Funding Shortfalls Hit Aid To Palestinians

(MENAFN- Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA)) São Paulo - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP ) announced on Monday (19) that it is reducing by 500,000 the number of people it assists monthly with food aid in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. The agency said the cuts are due to reduced funding for its operations.

According to a WFP statement, food and cash assistance in Gaza will be reduced from 1.6 million to 1.1 million people starting this month.

“Since the ceasefire was announced in October 2025, the agency has been reaching around 1.6 million people every month with food parcels, wheat flour, bread, hot meals, nutrition support, school snacks and cash assistance. WFP no longer has sufficient funding to sustain this level of support,” the agency said.

In detailing the cuts, the programme explained that supported families will now receive one food parcel instead of two, along with a smaller quantity of wheat flour. The number of hot meals distributed daily has been reduced from 250,000 to 150,000, and families living in hard-to-reach areas will receive hot meals every other day. Before the changes, they received hot meals daily. The measures also include a reduction in the amount of cash assistance provided to 75,000 families.

“For now, WFP is able to continue supporting bakeries that cover one-third of Gaza's bread needs, provide nutrition assistance to 300,000 women and children and deliver healthy school snacks to 200,000 children,” the agency said.

Currently, 67% of Gaza's population faces acute food insecurity. The West Bank has also been affected by the cuts: the number of people receiving some form of assistance has fallen from 400,000 to 200,000.

WFP said it had received less than half the funding for its operations in Palestine this year compared with previous years. According to the agency, USD 450 million is urgently needed to maintain basic operations in Gaza and the West Bank from this month through March 2027.

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Translated by Guilherme Miranda

©WFP/Jaber Badwan

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