World Food Programme Reduces Gaza Aid Due to Lack of Funds

The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it has been forced to significantly reduce life-saving food aid in the Gaza Strip due to severe funding shortages. With the reduction in aid, the number of people reached by the support dropped by about a third, falling from 1.6 million to 1.1 million.

The United Nations agency reported that the restrictions have come into effect with the approach of winter and at a time when many families in Gaza are struggling for food. With this decision, the amount of daily hot meals provided by community kitchens was reduced from 250,000 portions to 150,000 portions.

Families living in hard-to-reach areas, including near the Yellow Line defining Israel's military control zone, will now be able to receive food every two days instead of every day. While almost the entire population of 2.1 million in Gaza has been displaced, two-thirds of the population depend on food aid to survive.

WFP's Palestine Director Shaun Hughes emphasized that the restrictions stem entirely from financial difficulties, not from a decrease in needs or access problems. The agency stated that it urgently needs 450 million dollars to sustain its critical operations for the next six months.