WFP cuts Gaza food aid by a third over funding shortfall, leaving half a million people without critical assistance

Summary

The World Food Programme has announced a one-third reduction in food assistance to Gaza because of funding shortages, a cut that will leave half a million people without access to critical aid. Families are already cutting back: Ola Shamali, a Palestinian mother of nine in a displacement tent in Gaza City, has begun rationing lentils and other food. Her 78-year-old father has bladder cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes and needs a nutritious diet that the family can barely afford, and she had been selling part of the family's WFP food to buy fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and meat for him. Food prices are rising, and the announcement has raised fears of a return to severe hunger in Gaza, a year after Israel's siege led to famine.

Timeline

1. Middle East Eye

   22 Oct 2026, 11:43 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye reports that the World Food Programme has cut its food assistance to Gaza by one-third due to funding shortages, leaving half a million people without critical aid, and that displaced families such as Ola Shamali's are cutting back on food in fear of renewed famine.