Gaza faces worsening hunger as WFP announces food aid cuts

As of October 19, 2026, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced it would end monthly assistance to 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza due to a funding shortfall. The WFP previously provided food aid to about 1.6 million people, and this reduction brings that number down to around 1.1 million, still roughly half of Gaza's population. With the cutbacks, families receiving two food parcels per month will now get only one, flour bags have been halved in size, cash assistance has been reduced for 75,000 families, and daily hot meals provided by community kitchens will decrease from 250,000 to 150,000. Some families in hard-to-reach areas near the Yellow Line will receive a meal every other day instead of daily. Nearly two-thirds of Gaza's population, or about 1.4 million people, face crisis levels of food insecurity and need humanitarian aid to survive.