World Food Programme forced to cut aid to Gaza due to funding shortages - BBC News                            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm79plrvpl4vo)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm79plrvpl4vo)  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm79plrvpl4vo)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm79plrvpl4vo)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-36.413a37b227.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-48.010dc96bcf.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-57.1fcd0dc805.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-60.52f68a148f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-72.f155fdb25f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-76.cb5ee392d4.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-96.35ee2d1e20.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-114.7ccdf53cba.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-120.73e20442a9.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-128.060d346f09.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-144.e08bc23631.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-152.4de1981be0.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-180.1a18cb7b72.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-192.3ac042fa43.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-384.728e3a03d3.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-512.685da29e9e.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-16.8a240ceacc.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-32.5cf4e6db02.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/manifest.11b0cb15658c4719a2c19e25644577223adaa7b2.json)   (https://www.bbc.com)   BBC Homepage    (cm79plrvpl4vo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#main-heading) Skip to content  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/) Accessibility Help          (https://account.bbc.com/account?lang=en-GB&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fcm79plrvpl4vo)    Your account       (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (cm79plrvpl4vo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)    More menu     (cm79plrvpl4vo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)   More menu    (https://www.bbc.com/search?d=NEWS_GNL)    Search BBC      (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (cm79plrvpl4vo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#more-menu-button)   Close menu          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news)   BBC News      (cm79plrvpl4vo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-menu)    Menu  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news) Home   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cmj34zmwm1zt) Climate   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world) World   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/us_and_canada) US & Canada   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk) UK   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business) Business   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology) Tech   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment) Science   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment_and_arts) Entertainment & Arts   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health) Health     (cm79plrvpl4vo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-more-menu)    More     (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in_pictures) In Pictures   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/bbcverify) BBC Verify   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat) Newsbeat         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world) World   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/africa) Africa   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/asia) Asia   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/australia) Australia   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/europe) Europe   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/latin_america) Latin America   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/middle_east) Middle East           Funding shortages force World Food Programme to cut aid to Gaza      (Dalal al-Dahdouh (L) and her family in Gaza City, northern Gaza)     Image caption,  Dalal al-Dahdouh said the WFP food handouts her family received were insufficient even before the cuts       By Yolande Knell Middle East correspondent ,  Reporting from Jerusalem      Published 7 hours ago           One of the main suppliers of food aid to the Gaza Strip, the World Food Programme (WFP), says that it is being forced to "drastically reduce lifesaving assistance" to the Palestinian territory due to funding shortages.  Overall, the number of people helped by the UN agency will drop by about a third - from 1.6 million to 1.1 million.  The cuts will hit as winter approaches and at a time when many families in Gaza are still struggling to feed themselves. One effect is that the number of hot meals that are currently being provided by community kitchens will be cut from 250,000 to 150,000 each day. Families living in hard-to-reach areas, for example near the so-called Yellow Line, which demarcates Israel's area of military control, will receive a meal every other day instead of daily. Nearly all of Gaza's 2.1 million population remains displaced and two-thirds rely on food aid to survive.      (Mervat al-Satari in front of a tent in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza)     Image caption,  Mervat al-Satari, a mother-of-five, says the cuts are a "disaster"       "It's a disaster! What will we do with these reduced rations? How will we provide for the little ones?" said Mervat al-Satari, a displaced Palestinian mother-of-five at a camp in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis after being told of the WFP's news. "Sometimes we wait for these meals to eat." "This will affect us a lot. The daily aid was somehow ticking the box but now it will be every two days," said Sawsan Bahloul, who is also from al-Mawasi and is a mother of three. She added that the portions given by the community kitchen - usually pasta or lentils with occasional potatoes and aubergines - were already too small to feed her family. The Palestine director for the WFP, Shaun Hughes, is clear that the cuts are being made because of finances, and "not because the needs are coming down, or because we don't have access - we do."      (Camp for displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza)     Image caption,  Nearly all of Gaza's 2.1 million people are displaced, with many living in camps like those in al-Mawasi       Already, since July, there have been reductions in cash transfers provided to some half a million people, meaning they have less money to buy food in local markets. The number of Gazans given bags of flour and ration boxes by the WFP will now fall from 1.1 million to 600,000 each month. The WFP received less than half as much funding for its Palestinian operations in 2026 as in previous years. The agency says it urgently needs $450m (£338m) to maintain "critical" operations over the next six months. Despite a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that was agreed a year ago, violence has continued, including almost daily Israeli strikes, and humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain dire. There has been no reconstruction and little recovery, with Israel tightly controlling the entry of goods through crossings. While food markets are now well stocked, few can afford to buy from them. More than 80% of people in Gaza are unemployed so most of the population relies on aid.      (Children in Gaza City, northern Gaza)     Image caption,  Two-thirds of the population relies on food aid to survive, according to UN-backed experts       Families currently receiving the WFP food handouts complained to the BBC that already these were insufficient and gave them little diversity in their diets. "The flour isn't enough and the food boxes aren't enough either," said Dalal al-Dahdouh, who is living in the ruins of her home in Gaza City with her family of eight. She fears the new cuts will have "a major impact". The mother draws a contrast between the current desperate situation and life before the war. "In the past, thank God, we had our own home and a wonderful life. We had fresh vegetables, proper sanitation facilities and our own land," she said. "Now we live entirely on aid, including WFP vouchers." There is no cooking gas available in Gaza because the Israeli government considers it a "dual use" item that could be used by Hamas for military purposes. Wood is expensive, so many families send their children into the street to find plastic and cardboard to burn as fuel to make bread or heat food. "It's still a very concerning humanitarian situation, people living in brutal conditions, most people still without a proper home, living in tents, poor access to water and sanitation and healthcare," Hughes of the WFP told the BBC. "Cuts to food assistance are going to compound that hardship that families have been facing for three years now."      (Sawsan Bahloul sets fire to paper and cardboard to heat a pot, outside a tent in Gaza)     Image caption,  Families, including Sawsan Bahloul's, are forced to burn plastic and cardboard as fuel for cooking       Humanitarian workers say that despite a modest improvement in Gaza compared to a year ago, acute food insecurity and the risk of famine returning continue to loom over the territory. In July, the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) - the world's foremost experts on food security - reported that two-thirds of the population - 1.4 million people - were "expected to face crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity in July-December 2026". For now, the WFP says it can continue supporting bakeries that provide one-third of Gaza's bread needs and provide nutritional assistance to about 300,000 women and children. It also delivers health food snacks to some 200,000 children. In the occupied West Bank, the WFP is continuing to give assistance to some 200,000 Palestinians, having halved the number of recipients in September.  The agency says food insecurity is rising in the territory mostly due to increased Israeli settler violence and Palestinian displacement.     Related topics  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cdl8n2eder8t) Palestinian territories  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c2vdnvdg6xxt) Israel-Gaza war        More on this story (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmx2qlz7qrd4o) 'Every day there is killing': Gazans face Israeli strikes despite ceasefire as peace deal stalls     Published 8 October          (A man in his 30s sits with five children - two girls and three boys - inside a tent)          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c8n5d0e0n6wdo) Girl has multiple surgeries to control infections after strike in Gaza     Published 30 September          (A young girl is seen in a hospital bed while a woman wearing scrubs strokes her hair)          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c94gm7dp40y0o) Reports of violence against women in Gaza surge, UN agency finds     Published 23 September          (A file photo showing a Palestinian woman inspecting her damaged home after an Israeli strike on a nearby mosque, in Gaza City (29 July 2026))          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce34r0er75go) Families' agonising search for answers as thousands still missing in Gaza     Published 19 August          (Ahmed al Madhoun smiles as he holds his bike.)          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1m1xm8ykk2o) 'Digital lifeline' - Gaza tech workers give glimpse of possible future     Published 4 August          (A Palestinian man works on a laptop on a chair outside, surrounded by rubble, in Gaza)                (vertical video collection) The video playlist   Watch our pick of standout clips from across the BBC      Previous     Next         0:55 Can you cheat on your partner with a video game character? 00:00:55, play video Can you cheat on your partner with a video game character?    (A woman with blonde hair pulls a face)           1:01 'It's one of the most polluted places in the world right now' 00:01:01, play video 'It's one of the most polluted places in the world right now'    (A woman stands looking at the camera wearing a protective mask.)           0:28 How Christian Horner's wife predicted his 'brutal' sacking. 00:00:28, play video How Christian Horner's wife predicted his 'brutal' sacking    (Christian Horner in 5 Live studio)           1:10 Why is Gen Z protesting around the world? 00:01:10, play video Why is Gen Z protesting around the world?    (A high school student is holding a blue, white, and red tricolor flag bearing the inscription Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite in front of her high school.)           0:54 What are the new faces coming to UK bank notes? 00:00:54, play video What are the new faces coming to UK bank notes?    (Several £10 and £20 notes lying on top of each other.)           0:46 Gromit to get a voice after 37 years. 00:00:46, play video Gromit to get a voice after 37 years    (A plasticine sits in a chair)           1:40 'I became a bodybuilder after turning 40' 00:01:40, play video 'I became a bodybuilder after turning 40'    (A woman wearing a white bikini holds a trophy)           0:54 Babydoll singer Jamie Miller says it's been 'the craziest journey' 00:00:54, play video Babydoll singer Jamie Miller says it's been 'the craziest journey'    (A young man wearing a beanie hat, grey jumper, brown jacket, brown chinos and white boots. He is leaning on the stone wall of a thatched building with a blue door and a sign that reads "muddy boots and paws welcome". He is smiling and looking at the camera.)           0:34 Why are pumpkins smaller this Halloween? 00:00:34, play video Why are pumpkins smaller this Halloween?    (A woman with brown hair and glasses holds a pumpkin)           1:06 How the music on The Traitors manipulates your emotions. 00:01:06, play video How the music on The Traitors manipulates your emotions    (Claudia Winkleman in the Traitors)           0:23 Ashley Walters: 'Being in a young offenders institute shaped my film' 00:00:23, play video Ashley Walters: 'Being in a young offenders institute shaped my film'    (A man with short hair talks to someone off-camera)           0:27 Homes destroyed as wildfires rage in California. 00:00:27, play video Homes destroyed as wildfires rage in California    (Thick black smoke billows out of the roof of a home on fire in California)           1:15 What led to the White House press secretary leaving her post? 00:01:15, play video What led to the White House press secretary leaving her post?    (Katie Zacharia)           1:10 Did Tesla just unveil a flying car? 00:01:10, play video Did Tesla just unveil a flying car?    (A white Tesla Roadster car appearing to fly)           0:44 Could the UK be about to stop changing the clocks? 00:00:44, play video Could the UK be about to stop changing the clocks?    (People walk in front of a large clocktower)           0:57 Street Fighter's Chun-Li ate 12 eggs a day to prepare. 00:00:57, play video Street Fighter's Chun-Li ate 12 eggs a day to prepare    (A woman with buns on either side of her head looks off-camera)           1:26 The fight to say 'vagina' on social media. 00:01:26, play video The fight to say 'vagina' on social media    (A picture of a phone home screen. The apps shown on the phone are Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, WeChat and TikTok.)           1:12 'Pervert glasses' stigma threatens my independence. 00:01:12, play video 'Pervert glasses' stigma threatens my independence    (A man with a beard is wearing black 'smart glasses' with a small lens embedded in the frame. He is wearing a three-quarter zip navy jumper)               Top stories (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cklyj1477edjt)     Live.    Australian MP has critical injuries after being hit by car in what PM calls 'deliberate act'     8563 viewing 8.6k viewing             (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c893v4gx2e47t)     Live.    French PM calls for partial curfews as he condemns 'thieves' and 'thugs' behind riots     8635 viewing 8.6k viewing             (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm62y80yxw9vo) Companies exploiting welfare system by using residents as 'cash cows', BBC finds     Published 8 hours ago                More to explore (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6x2we04jnvpo) 'We didn't know a cold sore could kill a baby'      (Ben and Meg stand outside. Ben is wearing a navy quarter zip top and checked shirt. Meg is wearing a black top and necklace.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckr5y832v8ddo) The portraits that helped bring the lost Aberfan children home      (A montage of eight paintings showing the faces of nine children who died in the Aberfan disaster)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6pwgzkj8zzgo) Inside the shadowy world of anti-Putin sabotage from within Russia      (A designed image in red, white, yellow and blue, showing a drone on the left and a man wearing a baseball cap and dark glasses on the right)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c60rl1xvjv89o) Don't fall for this - how to protect yourself from AI scams      (Close up of a young woman in a jumper looking at her mobile phone)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckn9wrr75dyeo) 'It gives me the ick': Can you cheat on someone with a video game?      (A promotional image from the game GTA 6 featuring the two main characters, Jason and Lucia. He is wearing a white vest and has a crewcut and a tattoo on his left bycep. She is facing him with a gun in her right hand.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvj64l74e48po) The playground murder: Trauma, loss and a love that endured      (Vintage photograph of two young people standing side by side in light-coloured tops against a dark background. One has shoulder-length curly hair and the other has longer dark hair.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwj0lmq6043mo) Learning to read in my 80s has changed my life      (Alan is stood holding two Read Easy certificates next to a woman wearing a black hat.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crwyq75117z4o) Making murder fun: How the Traitors' soundtrack sets the tone      (Claudia Winkleman in the Traitors. She is bathed in rays of moonlight poking through a forest canopy as braziers light the path behind her)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsletters/zgmn46f) US Politics Unspun: Cut through the noise with Anthony Zurcher's newsletter      (A cut of of Anthony Zurcher wearing a suit and tie in front of a red, black, grey and blue graphic background featuring the US Capitol Building)             Elsewhere on the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0032cxq?at_mid=SwuBKrTO6u&at_campaign=Here_for_the_History_Modern_Toilets&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=p0ns1h35&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Here_for_the_History_Modern_Toilets&at_bbc_team=BBC) Here for the History explores the origins of modern toilets        (Here for the History: Modern Toilets)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0032r4k?at_mid=BBrTjTlg7x&at_campaign=The_Infinite_Monkey_Cage_S35_The_First_Britons&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=b00snr0w&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=The_Infinite_Monkey_Cage_S35_The_First_Britons&at_bbc_team=BBC) Discover the very first people to land on the British Isles        (The Infinite Monkey Cage)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002zl60/watch/p0pgwlzz?at_mid=fpoYXSlZYA&at_campaign=BBC_Trailers_Blue_Planet_III&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=m002zl60&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=BBC_Trailers_Blue_Planet_III&at_bbc_team=BBC) The Wonder Starts Here. First look at Sir David Attenborough's Blue Planet III        (Blue Planet III)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0032qp4?at_mid=cr6bjAOg1s&at_campaign=Room_101_with_Paul_Merton_S4_E1_Miles_Jupp&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=m001x0mr&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Room_101_with_Paul_Merton_S4_E1_Miles_Jupp&at_bbc_team=BBC) What would Miles Jupp banish to Room 101        (Room 101 with Paul Merton)            Most read 1 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmq5n8x106jdo) Possible wreckage of Amelia Earhart's plane likely to be trees, say researchers       2 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgdd2yevd3o) Man accused of mass train stabbing admits wounding       3 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvj6jylk3456o) Woman says she 'closed eyes and tried not to be there' during alleged Russell Brand rape       4 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6pwgzkj8zzgo) Inside the shadowy world of anti-Putin sabotage from within Russia       5 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm62y80yxw9vo) Companies exploiting welfare system by using residents as 'cash cows', BBC finds       6 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq398dgkdg8xo) Reform MSP quits party to sit as independent       7 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6073pdxpvjvo) Four arrested after police officer injured in shooting       8 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c84g13z6xx4eo) Home sellers cut asking prices on 3,000 properties a day       9 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckwy4549y0eqo) Police investigating hoax threat emails sent to Scottish schools       10 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw1m4pvdzzj0o) Schools 'explosive device' email a hoax, say police               BBC News Services  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628994)    On your mobile  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/help-50068132)    On smart speakers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628323)    Get news alerts  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/20039682)    Contact BBC News     (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms) Terms of Use  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc) About the BBC  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/privacy) Privacy Policy  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/cookies) Cookies  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility) Accessibility Help  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/guidance) Parental Guidance  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact) Contact the BBC  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers) Careers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnewsletter) BBC emails for you  (https://www.bbc.com/advertisingcontact/) Advertise with us    Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidance/links-and-feeds) Read about our approach to external linking.         ()