The World Food Programme (WFP) reduced food aid for 500,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in October 2026, cutting the total number of recipients from 1.6 million to 1.1 million due to severe funding shortages. These cuts come as two-thirds of Gaza's population already face severe food insecurity and threaten to reverse fragile gains made since a ceasefire agreement last year, deepening an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Records show

The WFP's decision, effective October 2026, eliminated food assistance for 500,000 people and halved food rations for others. Cash assistance for 75,000 families has been reduced, and the number of daily hot meals provided to those unable to cook has fallen from 250,000 to 150,000. Some families in hard-to-reach areas now receive hot meals only every other day.

Gaza already faces widespread food insecurity, with an estimated 1.4 million people, representing two-thirds of its population, experiencing crisis-level food insecurity or worse. Approximately 200,000 people require immediate food assistance to prevent hunger-related deaths. Unemployment in Gaza exceeds 80 percent, leaving many families unable to afford nutritious food.

Timeline

The aid reductions occur more than a year after a ceasefire agreement came into force on October 10, 2025. This agreement was part of a "Trump-brokered ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas. Despite the ceasefire, promised reconstruction has not begun, and ongoing airstrikes and displacement continue in Gaza.

What changed

The WFP indicated it received less than half of its required funding for Palestine operations in 2026 compared to previous years. The agency urgently needs $450 million to sustain critical operations in both Gaza and the West Bank for the period from October 2026 to March 2027. Aid in the West Bank was also cut by half in September 2026, reducing assistance from 400,000 to 200,000 people.

What the WFP has said

Shaun Hughes, the WFP's Palestine Director, stated the cuts are "financially driven" and not a result of decreased need or improved conditions. He noted that humanitarian conditions remain "brutal," people are not safe, and airstrikes and displacement persist. Acting Executive Director Carl Skau confirmed the reduction in beneficiaries from 1.6 million to 1.1 million and the halving of food rations.

What we could not confirm

  • The specific current number of people receiving food parcels, cash assistance, or hot meals in the West Bank after the September 2026 cuts.
  • The exact amount of funding the WFP received for its Palestine operation in 2025 and earlier years to compare with the 2026 figure.