Funding shortfall forces WFP to end aid for 500,000 Gazans

On Monday, October 19, 2026, the World Food Programme said a funding shortfall forces it to end monthly assistance for 500,000 people in Gaza, leaving about 1.1 million on food or cash aid. Country director Shaun Hughes, speaking to AFP in east Jerusalem, said the cut is “not because we don’t have humanitarian access to deliver food; that’s because we don’t have funding.” Coverage differs on the prior caseload: about 1.6 million, or between 1.5 million and 1.8 million. Those still aided get less—one food parcel instead of two and a smaller flour bag; cash for 75,000 families falls from 1,250 to 750 shekels; hot meals drop from 250,000 to 150,000 a day, some only every other day. WFP needs $450 million over six months for Gaza and West Bank work and has received less than half usual 2026 funding. About 1.4 million people face crisis-level food insecurity or worse. A year into a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, acting executive director Carl Skau said in Gaza life is still brutal—no proper shelter, basic services, safety, or security—and the cuts hit as a fourth winter begins. Famine classified in August 2025 was lifted in December after the ceasefire; little progress is reported on Hamas disarmament or Israeli troop withdrawal. Hughes called the aid a lifeline and said now is not the time to turn away.