World Food Program cuts aid to 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza, citing lack of funding

The United Nations World Food Program said a lack of funding was forcing a sharp reduction in its aid to Gaza, leaving around 500,000 people without monthly food aid in a territory where two-thirds of the population struggles to have enough to eat.

The WFP announced that it was reducing the number of beneficiaries of its monthly aid from 1.6 million to 1.1 million people.

In addition, food rations were halved, cash assistance was removed for 75,000 families and the number of daily hot meals for those who cannot cook fell from 250,000 to 150,000, with some families living in hard-to-reach areas now only receiving a hot meal every other day.

The WFP said around 1.4 million people, or two-thirds of Gaza’s population, face critical levels of food insecurity or worse, including around 200,000 people in emergency conditions.

The Gaza ceasefire brokered last year by the United States calls for possible reconstruction of the territory. But little progress has been made in implementing a deal to end the conflict, which includes conditions for Hamas to disarm and for Israel to withdraw its troops.

“It’s been a year since this ceasefire was signed. Well, life is still brutal here. There is no proper shelter. There are no basic services. There is no safety, no security,” World Food Program acting executive director Carl Skau told Reuters in Gaza.

“These reductions come just as we enter the fourth winter. You know, I’ve experienced some absolutely brutal winters here,” he added.

The WFP said it urgently needs $450 million over the next six months to maintain its critical operations in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

“We are telling the world now that this is not the time to look away. This is the time to step up that support, to protect the progress that has been made, but also to promote a rapid recovery,” Skau said.