UN World Food Programme slashes Gaza assistance amid funding shortfall

Half a million people will lose access to food assistance in Gaza due to United Nations funding cuts, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

The organisation is the largest single supplier of humanitarian food assistance in the Gaza Strip, reaching about 1.6 million people every month since the October 2025 ceasefire with Israel.

Now an estimated 500,000 people, categorised by the WFP as "vulnerable", will lose out as the organisation undergoes a series of cost-cutting measures aimed at reducing its caseload by a third.

"As we're now entering winter, I'm really worried that we're … cutting assistance to half a million people," WFP acting executive director Carl Skau told the ABC in a rare interview after returning from a visit to Gaza.

Rations have been cut by half, meaning families who were receiving two food parcels will now get one. Flour bags will shrink in size and there will be a 40 per cent reduction in food parcels.

Hot meals provided to Palestinians in more difficult-to-reach areas, including near the yellow line that borders areas under Israeli military control, have also been halved in frequency, dropping from daily to every other day.

Mr Skau said the cuts would have a huge impact.

"We are concerned … that is going to have consequences on hunger. Also beyond that, because where hunger spreads, instability follows," he said.

Gazan residents worry about losing food assistance

Cash assistance is a lifeline for people in Gaza but the WFP has said it will have to reduce the value by 40 per cent for 75,000 families.

Aid is mostly transferred through e-wallets or other electronic means because of a lack of cash circulating in the enclave.

"I am a father of seven, and my family depends entirely on WFP food assistance to survive," Khaled, a 53-year-old man from Gaza, told the ABC.

"With fewer community kitchens operating now, we rely on WFP more than ever to put food on our table."

Gazan resident Fatima Mohamed is also set to be affected by the cost cutting.

The 38-year-old widow and mother of three lives with no source of income. She said she depended on WFP food parcels and cash payments to help feed her family.

Palestinians and aid workers reported it was common to find cola, crisps and sweets in the strip's market, but Ms Mohamed said its often difficult to find things like eggs and chicken.

"The market is full of food products with little nutritional value and high sugar content," she said.

"Many are unsuitable for children, yet they are sometimes cheaper than healthier, more nutritious alternatives."

According to the WFP's own market monitor for September, an estimated 44 per cent of households are unable to afford basic food items because of high prices. It also found 44 per cent of were Palestinians going to bed hungry at least once in 30 days.

The 'massive humanitarian effort' in Gaza

Since the 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, humanitarian operations in the enclave have changed and operations are less risky. Access has also evolved, according to multiple sources.

As a result, malnutrition rates have improved. In December the UN lifted its August 2025 declaration of a famine in Gaza, saying the ceasefire had allowed enough supplies into the strip over the course of several months to ease conditions. Israel denounced the famine declaration as a lie.

According to Israeli authorities, humanitarian aid continues to enter the Gaza Strip daily and the situation is stable.

"Gaza is flooded with humanitarian aid and food supplies," COGAT, the Israeli military arm tasked with Gaza's logistics, said in a recent statement alongside a video of supermarkets and restaurants operating in the enclave.

Mr Skau said there is food in Gaza but "it's not the right ones". He said restrictions on goods entering the strip were still holding back its recovery and stopping the available money from going as far as it could.

"If we could just be allowed to do work differently, if these restrictions around bringing tools and commodities in [were lifted] … that would get us so much further with the available resources," he said.

Mr Skau warned the gains they had made in Gaza in recent months were "fragile" and could be at risk as the organisation cut back its assistance.

"If you compare it to a year ago, we have managed to push back famine. But that's only thanks to a massive … humanitarian effort," he said.

WFP cost cutting driven by lack of funding

Mr Skau listed several reasons for the WFP cuts, including funding issues, the size and cost of the operation as well as growing demand elsewhere in the world.

Australia provides $40 million in flexible funding to the organisation on average every year. Mr Skau said traditional donors across the board, including the US and Europe, had cut funding.

"[The cuts are] not due to the fact we aren't able to bring in food. We are able to bring in food," he said.

"It's not because the needs are down … it's only due to the lack of funding.

Mr Skau also said the WFP was facing "a perfect storm" of crisis, with shipping disruptions pushing up food and energy prices, a "super El Niño" underway and concurrent conflicts happening in Gaza, Sudan and Yemen.

"We are now seeing hunger pushed up in many parts of the world," he said.

"So I guess part of it is competing priorities."

He said more funding was needed to deal with the myriad of conflicts happening around the world.

"Everyone seems to agree that children should not starve to death, they should not go to bed hungry," he said.

"We need to turn that consensus into action."