# Food cuts force WFP to abandon half a million Palestinians > Funding shortfalls mean the World Food Programme must scale back aid in Gaza this winter, leaving two-thirds of the population facing crisis hunger levels. - Title: Food cuts force WFP to abandon half a million Palestinians - Summary: Funding shortfalls mean the World Food Programme must scale back aid in Gaza this winter, leaving two-thirds of the population facing crisis hunger levels… - Keywords: world food programme, gaza, palestine, humanitarian aid, food insecurity, famine, united nations, news, world, Food, cuts, force - Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/19/cuts-world-food-programme-end-support-palestinians-gaza - Published: 2026-10-19T09:54:33+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: world food programme, gaza, palestine, humanitarian aid, food insecurity, famine, united nations, news, world ## WFP cuts force aid retreat Funding cuts have forced the World Food Programme to end support for more than half a million Palestinians each month starting October, Shaun Hughes, the WFP's representative for Palestine, said. ## Summer aid covered three-quarters This summer, WFP programmes helped feed three-quarters of Gaza's population, about one point six million people, but funding has fallen by more than half from twenty twenty-five levels. ## October cuts scale back coverage From October, aid has been scaled back to one point one million people each month. Cuts to deliveries of ration boxes, cash stipends, and hot meals at community kitchens have already been rolled out. ## Two-thirds face crisis hunger Two-thirds of the population in Gaza face crisis levels of food insecurity, phase three under the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which assesses if a population is approaching famine. ## Two hundred thousand in danger Food insecurity is at emergency levels for two hundred thousand Palestinians, meaning immediate humanitarian supplies are needed to prevent deaths from hunger. This is phase four, one step away from famine. ## Children face permanent damage One in eight children in Gaza are chronically malnourished or stunted, a recent Unicef survey found, and may have suffered permanent damage after years of food shortages. ## Eighty percent unemployment blocks recovery About eighty percent of Gaza's population is unemployed according to UN data. There is no way for most people to feed their own families at present without humanitarian aid. ## Agriculture and fishing destroyed Gaza was self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables before the war, but the vast majority of farmland has been occupied by Israel's military. The sophisticated greenhouse and irrigation systems have been destroyed. ## Families skip meals to survive Alaa Sarhan, forty, lives with his wife and five children in a tent. He said recently they have had to plan meals around what is available rather than what they want to eat. > In recent days, we have had to plan our meals around what is available rather than what we want to eat. ## Expensive logistics worsen shortfalls Israeli restrictions on aid shipments exacerbate funding shortfalls because they make humanitarian work particularly expensive. Limited warehouse space, fuel limits, and complex shipping restrictions push up transport costs. ## WFP needs three hundred million pounds The WFP needs more than three hundred million pounds over the next six months to restore and maintain critical programmes in Palestine. Even an influx of cash might not allow immediate reversal of cuts. ## Hughes warns gains are fragile Shaun Hughes said these are very fragile gains, easily reversed, and the situation is still brutal. Humanitarian aid will be needed at scale until large-scale reconstruction promised last year begins. > These are very fragile gains, easily reversed, and the situation is still brutal. ## Key takeaway The World Food Programme is ending support for over half a million Palestinians monthly due to funding cuts, as two-thirds of Gaza's population faces crisis food insecurity.