The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced sweeping cutbacks to its operations in the Gaza Strip due to a severe funding shortage. This drastic measure leaves approximately 500,000 individuals without critical assistance, compounding the misery of a population desperately struggling to secure basic sustenance in the war-torn Palestinian territory.

In an official statement released on Monday, the UN agency disclosed that it received less than half the funding for its Palestine operations in 2026 compared to previous years. The WFP warned that it urgently requires an additional $450 million to sustain vital operations across the occupied Palestinian territories over the upcoming six months.

Consequently, the agency confirmed it will scale down the number of monthly aid recipients in Gaza from 1.6 million to 1.1 million people. Food rations are slated to be halved from two parcels per family to just one, while the standard distribution of flour bags will be significantly reduced in size.

The UN body added that the daily provision of hot meals will plummet from 250,000 to 150,000 servings. Furthermore, households residing in hard-to-reach areas, including locations near the demarcation zone under Israeli military oversight, will receive hot meals on an alternating every-other-day basis rather than daily.

The prolonged military campaign waged by the Israeli regime has triggered the total collapse of local healthcare, education, and economic infrastructure. According to health authorities in Gaza, the death toll has surpassed 74,245 Palestinians, while international estimates indicate that over 80 percent of the population remains unemployed and deeply affected by acute food insecurity.

Source: www.aljazeera.com