World Food Programme Stops Provision to Half a Million People in Gaza Over Lack of Funding
Middle East Eye staff Middle East Eye
Palestinians line up for a free meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip. (photo: Fatima Shbair/AP)
Aid organisation describes situation in Gaza as 'brutal' despite slashing provision to Palestinians
Published date: 19 October 2026 12:49 BST | Last update: 5 hours 5 min ago
The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it is ending food aid for more than 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza due to lack of funding.
The news comes despite the fact that the large majority of Gaza's population currently rely on food aid.
"As of this month, we're now cutting half a million people from the number of people that we're assisting," Shaun Hughes, the WFP country director, told AFP.
The reduction will mean that 1.1 million Palestinians would be receiving WFP aid either in food or cash assistance.
In addition to widespread food insecurity, Israel has continued to launch attacks on the besieged enclave.
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At least five people were killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the territory's health ministry reported.
The death toll of Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza has reached at least 74,480, with another 175,539 wounded, the ministry reports.
It stated that at least 1,552 Palestinians have been killed and 5,421 wounded by Israel since the so-called "ceasefire" was implemented.
Additionally emergency teams recovered 839 bodies from under the rubble.
"People are not safe. Air strikes continue on a daily basis. People continue to be displaced," said Hughes.
"Almost everybody remains without a permanent home to live in. And the humanitarian conditions are brutal."
The UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said in August last year that Gaza was suffering famine conditions.
The famine classification was lifted in December, two months after a US-brokered ceasefire was announced in Gaza.
The ceasefire, which has been violated thousands of times by Israel, has allowed the WFP to step up assistance which had allowed it to reach between 1.5 million and 1.8 million people every month.
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