The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will end monthly assistance for 500,000 people in Gaza because of a funding shortfall, despite continuing humanitarian needs across the war-battered territory.

Following the cuts, around 1.1 million Palestinians will continue receiving food or cash assistance each month. However, the agency will provide reduced support as resources become increasingly limited.

The WFP said its operations had helped ease the impact of last year’s famine conditions. Nevertheless, it warned that the situation remained too severe to justify withdrawing assistance.

“People are not safe. Airstrikes continue on a daily basis. People continue to be displaced,” Shaun Hughes, the WFP country director, told AFP at the agency’s office in east Jerusalem.

“Almost everybody remains without a permanent home to live in. And the humanitarian conditions are brutal,” he added.

Millions in Gaza Still Face Food Insecurity

According to the latest assessments cited by Hughes, around 1.4 million people, or two-thirds of Gaza’s population, remain acutely food insecure and require humanitarian assistance to survive.

In August 2025, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported famine conditions in Gaza. The classification was lifted in December, two months after a US-brokered ceasefire was announced.

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However, Israeli strikes have continued since the ceasefire, while many Palestinians remain displaced and struggle to meet their basic needs.

The WFP said the truce had allowed it to expand its operations. Since then, the agency has reached between 1.5 million and 1.8 million people each month.

“This has been a lifeline. But now, rather than being able to sustain and scale up that assistance, we’re actually having to reduce it,” Hughes said.

He stressed that the cuts were caused by a lack of funding rather than restrictions on humanitarian access.

Food Parcels and Cash Payments Reduced

The WFP is cutting both the number of recipients and the amount of assistance provided to families.

Under the revised arrangements, households receiving food aid will get one food parcel instead of two. They will also receive a smaller bag of wheat flour, according to the agency’s operational note.

Meanwhile, cash assistance will also decrease for 75,000 families.

Monthly payments will fall from 1,250 Israeli shekels to 750 shekels. That represents a reduction of 40 per cent, leaving families with less money to purchase essential supplies.

The agency warned that these changes would place additional pressure on households already facing severe hardship.

WFP Faces Major Funding Gap

The WFP receives funding from governments and private donors. However, the agency has reported a sharp decline in available resources.

Its funding challenges have included reductions in US contributions to UN agencies and international aid programmes following President Donald Trump’s return to office.

The agency estimates that it needs approximately $450 million over the next six months to support its operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

However, funding for the Palestinian territories in 2026 has reached only about half the usual level, according to the WFP.

The agency has also reduced assistance in the occupied West Bank. In September, it cut the number of recipients from 400,000 to 200,000.

“Now is not the time in the history of Palestine and Gaza to turn away from what is happening in Gaza,” Hughes said.

Winter Could Increase Humanitarian Needs

Although the WFP has reported some improvement in conditions, it warned that humanitarian needs could rise again as winter approaches.

Israel has allowed more goods into Gaza under the ceasefire arrangements. However, significant restrictions remain on shipments of items it considers to have potential military uses.

According to the United Nations, these restrictions have included items such as prosthetic limbs, which are essential for people injured during the conflict.

Meanwhile, Israel has intensified its criticism of the United Nations during the Gaza war. Israeli officials have accused the organisation of bias and of encouraging Palestinian dependence on humanitarian assistance.

Despite some improvements in aid deliveries, the WFP says its funding shortage threatens its ability to meet the needs of millions of Palestinians who continue to face food insecurity and displacement.