Thursday, October 22, 2026 - A worsening funding crisis has forced the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to reduce food assistance to 700,000 Palestinians across Gaza and the occupied West Bank, putting vulnerable families at greater risk of hunger.
Announced on October 19, 2026, the cuts affect 500,000 people in Gaza and 200,000 in the West Bank. The agency warns that urgent financial support is needed to prevent the humanitarian situation from deteriorating further as winter approaches.
The impact is already severe. In Gaza, the number of people receiving WFP assistance has fallen from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, while support in the West Bank has dropped from 400,000 to 200,000. Food rations have also been reduced, and daily hot meal distributions in Gaza have fallen from 250,000 to 150,000.
The agency estimates that 1.4 million people in Gaza are facing acute food insecurity, with approximately 200,000 in emergency conditions requiring immediate assistance to prevent deaths from hunger. WFP says it needs $450 million to sustain critical operations across both territories for the next six months.
The situation demands urgent international attention as thousands of families struggle to secure basic meals and essential supplies. WFP is prioritising assistance for the most vulnerable, including children, mothers, sick people and those at risk of malnutrition.
However, without additional funding, the agency's ability to provide lifesaving support will remain severely limited. Governments, donors and humanitarian partners face mounting pressure to close the funding gap before further reductions deepen hunger and leave more Palestinian families without reliable access to food.
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