World Food Programme cuts aid to 500,000 in Gaza

The World Food Programme said on Monday it is ending monthly assistance to 500,000 people in Gaza because of a funding shortfall, cutting the number it helps from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, about half the territory's population.

Why it matters: The cut lands as winter approaches, with nearly all of Gaza's 2.1 million people still displaced and two-thirds reliant on food aid, and the agency says it needs 450 million dollars to keep critical operations running for the next six months.

Data as of Monday, October 19, 2026, 03:45 ET. Developing item. The overall reduction, the kitchen and flour figures, the 450 million dollar appeal and the funding comparison are from the BBC report of October 19, 2026, read in full; the country director's statement is Shaun Hughes's, given to Agence France-Presse and carried by Arab News the same day, read in full.

The World Food Programme said it is being forced to reduce lifesaving assistance in Gaza because it received less than half as much funding for its Palestinian operations in 2026 as in previous years, and its Palestine director Shaun Hughes told AFP the cuts are driven by finances, not by falling need or lack of access. The number receiving flour bags and ration boxes each month falls from 1.1 million to 600,000, and hot meals from community kitchens fall from 250,000 to 150,000 a day, while the agency can for now keep supporting bakeries that provide a third of Gaza’s bread and nutrition assistance to about 300,000 women and children. Hughes said the agency urgently needs 450 million dollars to maintain critical operations over the next six months.

World Food Programme cuts aid to 500,000 in Gaza

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